A Fiery Rain
by Indy Chance
Summary: The Ronins moved to America years ago, but never knew why. Now, in a burst of tragedy, they begin to discover the reasons...
1. A Rough Beginning

Chapter 1

A Rough Beginning 

*************

"There's nothing sadder than someone who doesn't know what love is."

That's what he used to say.

Ryo Sanada was one of the most alive people I ever knew.He wanted to show everyone how to live like that.He was so vibrant, so full of force and energy.

When I was little, he'd show me everything he could and teach me everything he knew about it.I remember a time when I was six or so and I got real sick.He came and picked me up out of bed and carried me out into the woods behind my house.Mom and Dad were okay with it because they trusted him totally.

He set me down beside a little brook and pointed out all the beautiful, wonderful things about it.I was so intrigued by everything he said that I forgot that I was sick and that I didn't feel good and then I felt better all day, even after he took me back home and Mom put me to bed.

Dad and Ryo were really good friends.When I was older, Dad explained about the yoroi and the war and all.I was allowed to call Ryo my uncle, even though we weren't related.Sometimes my other "uncles" would come over and talk about when they were younger.

"And then your father got all grumpy because we dumped water on him to wake him up," Kento would say.

Then Sage would add, "More like he tried to kill us."

Dad usually started growling right about then.

Ryo once told me about how Dad was always saving their skins in a fight, shooting enemies they hadn't noticed.Dad blushed.Ryo and I laughed.

***

When I was 16, Ryo and Cye volunteered to teach me to drive.They said Dad would get me killed.Mom stopped Dad from pounding them to death.

Ryo's pick-up truck was a little beat up, but it was in good working order and, of course, it was red.I loved that pick-up almost as much as Ryo did.We drove out to the zoo a lot.Ryo didn't like seeing caged animals but he worked there because he loved them and wanted to keep them healthy.He was a veterinarian.He told me once that the reason he went into that line was because of White Blaze, a big white tiger that was his dearest friend.

White Blaze was killed in an accident of some sort years before.

But he was supposedly a mystical tiger and so, I think, he wasn't really completely gone…Ryo still missed him, though.

***

One day, while he and I were carrying food to the bear house, I saw a man sitting all alone at one of the tables in the dining center.He looked like one of those people who are always cross or down in the dumps.Later, I mentioned this to Ryo.He smiled sadly and said that the man was probably very lonely.

Ryo told me I should always be very kind to people like that man."There is nothing sadder than someone who doesn't know what love is," he said."Those are the people who always seem miserable, and, for that reason, no one really wants to be around them, so they're all the more miserable.It's one of those vicious cycles.They need someone to care about them."

I saw the man again just before Ryo and I left and I sat down across from him."Hey, why the long face?" I asked him.

He kinda stared at me for a moment, like he didn't believe I was talking to him."Just feel a bit down, I guess," he finally said.

"Oh?Any particular reason why?"

"Not really."

I went on instinct and grabbed his hand.I smiled at him and said, "Well, maybe you just need somebody to cheer you up."

He bit his lip and smiled hesitantly."I guess."

"Tell you what," I suggested."I'll give you my phone number.You call me tomorrow and we'll talk for a while, 'kay?"I scribbled out the digits on a napkin with a pen and folded it into his hand."What's your name?" I asked.

"Ray."

"Do you have a last name, Ray?"

"Kinyard."

"Well, Ray Kinyard, I'm—"

"Lessa!Time to go!" Ryo shouted from across the center.

I laughed."I'm Lessa Hashiba.Don't forget to call me."

Ray Kinyard smiled genuinely."Sure.Bye."

"Bye."

When we were in the pick-up, Ryo asked, "Who was the guy you were talking to?"

I told him it was the man I'd mentioned earlier.

"Well, he certainly looked happy that you were talking to him."He kept talking and said he was proud but I'd had a long day and didn't hear much since I was quickly falling asleep.

I sleep the way Dad did when he was younger.Once I'm out, I don't get up again for the world, not until near noon.So, someone must've got stuck with the job of carrying me inside and putting me to bed that night.When I woke up the next day, Ryo was gone.He had to catch a plane to Japan, where he and Dad and my other uncles—except for Uncle Kento, who was from China—were from.He was visiting an old friend and wouldn't be back until after my 17th birthday in 4 months.

***********************

25 days before my birthday, Mom and Dad went to a party.Dad hated parties but he loved Mom.He'd rather jump off a jet plane without a parachute than go to a formal affair.Yet, if Mom wanted him to, he would.

I was playing a game on my Playstation with one of my "cousins," Kento's oldest son, Ben.We could hear Mom coaxing Dad to get ready for the party.I was giggling my head off.

"But, Allie, it's gross!" Dad was saying.

"Shush up.Put it on…Can't you do anything right?" Mom exclaimed, sounding exasperated."Oh, let me do it for you."

"Is this party gonna be on till late?"

"I told you already: until 11:30 probably."

"Maybe we should have one of the guys come over to stay with Lessa."

"She'll be seventeen, soon!She doesn't need a babysitter, Rowen!"

"I just don't want anything to happen to her."

I rolled my eyes at Ben, making him laugh.

Mom was growling about Dad being overprotective, but she relented."Fine.When Kento comes to pick up Ben, you can ask him to stay.But if he says no, Lessa gets to stay by herself."

"Deal," said Dad.

"Hey, don't I get a say in this?" I called.

"Uh…" Dad thought about it.

"Oh, never mind!" I shouted in my best imitation of Mom trying to get Dad to do something.

"Hey!" Mom pretended to be angry at my mocking.

I just giggled and grabbed more pixie sticks from the bag Ben had brought.

***********************

Kento agreed to stay.That meant Ben and I would probably trash the house, since Kento isn't very good about being strict with us kids.I liked that idea.

Before they left, Dad kissed me on the forehead and said he loved me and Mom ruffled my hair and said she loved me too.She also said I'd better stay out of the kitchen.Dad and I both made faces at this.After all, it's not our fault that we can't cook worth a flip.

We burn jello…Don't ask.

So, Mom and Dad left.The moment the car was out of sight, Kento clapped his hands together and asked, "Okay, who's up for wrestling?"

I beat Ben but I couldn't beat Kento.We had 7 rematches and I would've called for an 8th, but just then the sugar-high I'd gotten from the pixie sticks wore off and I crashed.

Ben pulled me up off the floor, walked me to the couch, and let go of my arm.I just fell onto the sofa and I don't even remember my head touching the pillows before I was asleep.

***********************

I woke up around 1o'clock in the afternoon the next day.Ben was sprawled on the floor, still asleep.I sat there, trying to figure out why this was wrong.Right after I wake up, I can't tell you what one plus one is unless you're willing to wait ten minutes.

I finally figured it out.Ben was supposed to have gone home with Kento the night before as soon as Mom and Dad got home.Why was he still here?

Kento snores.I mean, he _really SNORES_.But I didn't hear him so it took me a while to find him.He was in the "off-limits-to-Lessa" zone.In other words, he was in the kitchen.

I was still a little muddled in the head so I stood in the doorway for a bit.I think I was wondering if it was okay to go in the kitchen if Mom had said not to._One day rule_.If the order was issued yesterday, before midnight, it doesn't apply to today.I walked into the kitchen.

Kento was at the table that Mom chopped stuff up on.His back was to me and his head was in his hands.I dropped into the chair on the other side of the table from him and laid my head down with my cheek to the wood.

Kento looked up at me.His face was tear-stained and his eyes were red.

"Whuz wrong?" I slurred.

Kento rubbed his eyes and looked at me with the most mournful look."You look so much like your dad," he said.That's true.I don't have my father's weird hair, though.Mine's black, like my mom's.But that's pretty much the only difference.

I grunted, confused."Y'kay?" I mumbled.I was trying to summon enough strength to lift my head from the table but I couldn't.

Kento stood up and got me a cup of coffee.He wrapped my hands around it.Then, he put his hands on both sides of my face and sat me up.He managed to get me to take a decent sip of the coffee."How many times I had to do this to Rowen," he said.He made a kind of half-laugh, half-sigh.

The caffeine had helped me wake up a little."Huh?"

"Lessa…" He hesitated.

That was when I got the first hint that this wasn't just a little thing.Something was really wrong.I went cold.I couldn't speak.

"Lessa, last night…they were on their way home…there was a drunk…and he hit them…"

I stood up slowly.

Tears streamed down Kento's face."Oh, Lessie, they…they…"

I gripped the table's edge.

"They're dead.They were killed instantly," he choked out.

I don't know much about what happened next.It was like something exploded in my head and all I knew was this awful, hellishly hot feeling.It felt like I was burning from the inside out.

I was screaming but I didn't know that at the time.I have a vague memory of throwing my coffee cup at the wall.I picked up the table and flung it through the French doors that led to Mom's vegetable garden.

I couldn't see.I was blinded by red.I started pounding my fists into the wall.

The last thing I knew was something was wrapped around me so I couldn't move and there was a sound like a bunch of people talking but I couldn't hear what they said and another sound like a dying animal that was half human that would make your blood freeze and everything was burning hot…

Then there was only black.

***********************

I was warm.

That was my first thought.I wasn't hot, just warm.I decided against opening my eyes.

Gradually, as I became more awake, I was aware of other things.Hunger.Something covering me…iPain/i.

I moaned.Somebody immediately clasped my hand.I gave a tired scream.The somebody let go of my hand quickly.

"Les?"

I opened my eyes a tiny bit.Squinting, I could see black and red, but mostly white."W'am I?"

"In the hospital.How do you feel?"

I used my favorite morning phrase."Like a Netherworld hell."

"Mmm," laughed the person.

Now, I could see past the light.Ryo was the black and red.The white was the hospital room.I looked at my hand, the one Ryo had clasped.It was bruised terribly and there was a scab across one knuckle.I moved the fingers and discovered that this wasn't a good idea.I looked at my other hand.It was in a cast.

I grunted.

Ryo smiled."Rowen used to do that when he was annoyed about something, same tone and everything."

I squeezed my eyes shut at this, finally remembering that my parents were dead.I felt tears roll down my cheeks.

"Why're you here?" I asked. "You're supposed to be in Japan, visiting what's-her-name."

"Mia understands.She wanted to come, too, but she's got work.And I flew back here yesterday morning…I knew about your father before Cye called me."

"How?"

"The yoroi are connected.When one of us gets hurt real badly, the rest of us know.Your father dying was like…like losing a part of myself.The others are taking it hard, too."

I tried to move my feet and found that my whole body was sore and cramped.I must've been lying there for a while.

"How long've I been here?"

"Counting the evening you wrecked your kitchen and the guys had you admitted, three days not counting today.It's only 7 a.m."

"Three days…I've never slept that long before…"

"Well, you woke up yesterday afternoon but you tried to shred the place so they sedated you."

"Oh…why's my hand all wrapped up?"

Ryo looked at his hands in his lap."When Kento broke the news to you, one of the things you did was try to pound the wall to death.You broke half the bones in that hand…You also bruised three ribs and partially tore a tendon.You even managed to cut the back of your shoulder and all along the right side of your jaw."

I grunted indifferently.

Ryo searched my face."Lessa…were you trying to kill yourself?Kento could barely hold onto you, even with Ben's help.If Cye and Sage hadn't shown up, you might've hurt Ben and Kento."

I couldn't shrug because my ribcage was bandaged up, so I just shut my eyes, went limp, and said simply, "I don't care."

And I didn't.As far as I was concerned, there was no reason for me to bother with this dull game called "life" anymore.My mom and dad were dead.Why shouldn't I be, too?

I opened my eyes again and looked into Ryo's eyes."I wanna die."And I closed my eyes again.

I heard the door open and someone walk towards my bed.They stopped beside Ryo's chair."I thought I heard you talking," said the person.The voice was that of Kyri, Cye's daughter, who's a year and a half older than Ben and me."Is she awake?"

Ryo didn't answer.

"Ryo?" Kyri asked.

"Yeah.She's awake."He sounded like he was about to cry."Look, Ky, I, um…I have to go.Could you stay with her?"

"Sure…Is something wrong?"

"Yes…but I'll tell you later.I'll call your brother to come pick you up, okay?"

"Yeah.Bye, Ryo."

"Bye, Kyri…See you later, Lessie."He kissed my forehead and left.

I didn't give a damn.

***********************

I never spoke to any one after telling Ryo that I wanted to die.I opened my eyes occasionally but didn't look at anyone.I refused to eat or drink, so the hospital put me on an IV thingy.

Three days after I'd spoken with Ryo, the doctors decided that I was fine except for my lethargy and listlessness, which they could do nothing for.So, they released me.

Sage took me home with him.Everyone thought Ryo would've wanted to take me because it's always been obvious that out of all his nieces and nephews, I'm his favorite, but he'd only come by twice since our conversation and left in tears a mere ten minutes after he'd arrived each time.Kento and Judah, his wife, didn't think I should stay with them because they had four kids and their home was always in a clamor.Cye and his wife, Tachiku, only had Kyri and Sori, but all four of them were away from home nearly all day.

Sage and Maya had one son, Rusty.Their home was usually reasonably quiet and had a soothing atmosphere.Maya had set up a guest room for me.It had a balcony and its own bathroom.I sat down in a padded rocking chair in a corner and went blank.That was the place I spent most of the next two days.

I can't explain much about what was going on in my head.I guess there really wasn't much going on in there, really.The problem with me didn't get too bad until the third day I was in the Date home.

***********************

On that day, the weather was wonderful.It was warm and sunny, with only the slightest breeze.The kind of day I used to love and revel in.

I hated it.

I wanted the skies to be dark, the air cold.I wanted the wind to blow at gale force and howl the way I had when I found out about Mom and Dad.

But the day didn't care about the angry wishes of a depressed, desolate girl.It remained splendid.

I decided to ruin it.

I got up and walked out onto the balcony.I crawled up onto the railing, ignoring the pangs of pain that shot out of my broken hand.I looked at the perfect sky and hated it.I looked down at the perfect lawn beneath the balcony and hated it for its beautiful, lush greenness.And I loved it for what it was about to give me.

I stepped off the railing.

***********************

Yes, I honestly tried to commit suicide."Tried" being the key word.

Rusty grabbed my shirt as I fell.He had come to bring me my breakfast, which I wouldn't have eaten that day.I tried to slip out of the shirt but Rusty leaned over and got both hands under my armpits somehow.He couldn't haul me up, though, because I struggled too much.So, he started to holler like the end of the world.

Maya came running up to my room and out onto the balcony.She grabbed hold of one of my arms, while Rusty gripped the other.Together, despite my screaming and fighting, they managed to pull me back onto the balcony.

I wrenched free of their hold and socked a good one to Rusty's eye.I then attempted to leap off the balcony again but Maya grabbed my hair and yanked me back.Rusty held my arms and they dragged me into the house.

Once we were inside, I went limp again and indifferent to the world.The only difference was that tears slipped down my face.

***********************

When Sage came home that night, he found me tied to chair, with his son watching my every move.He raised an eyebrow in question at Rusty.My cousin sighed and Sage walked on to the kitchen, where Maya was preparing supper.Their voices were muffled but I could hear Sage exclaim once.

Sage returned to the living room and glanced at Rusty, who got up and left the room.Sage sat down across from me and we were silent.

"Lessa, why did you jump off the balcony?" Sage asked finally.

I remained mute.

Sage sighed."Did you know that your father wanted one of the other Ronin to care for you in the event of his and your mother's death before you were an adult?Ryo, Kento, Cye, and I are your legal guardians…We love you and we don't want anything to happen to you."

Those last 7 words struck a cord somewhere deep within me but I didn't really hear them.In fact, I didn't really listen to a word he said.

That night, I was moved into Rusty's room, which had no balcony and whose only window couldn't be opened.All potential weapons with I might harm myself were removed and the door was locked from outside.

My only satisfaction from the day's events was the black eye I'd given Rusty.

***********************

The thing about people who honestly want to die is that once they figure out that suicide is an option, there is no way to keep them from continuing to attempt it until they succeed.

Two days after the balcony episode, I broke a vase in the hall and slashed my wrists with the pieces.I only succeeded in ruining the carpet because Sage found me and used Halo to heal me.

Of all the households to choose to die in, I'd picked the worst one possible.

During the following week, I tried to drown myself, slice my wrists again, and I cut my throat twice.These attempts were foiled by Rusty performing CPR, Maya taking the knife from me before I cut too deep, and Sage using his yoroi's healing abilities.

I had thin, white scars where I'd cut myself on my throat and wrists and they would be there for the rest of my life, but these weren't good enough.I was almost desperate to die.Over two weeks had passed since my parents' deaths.

I hated them all.

Ben visited a couple times.He and I had been best friends since we were little.Ben doesn't look much like his father, more like his mother.He's a good 4 ½ inches taller than me and I'm five-foot, six.His hair is a rather dark brown and his eyes are medium brown.He isn't quite as stocky as Kento either, but he does have some nice muscles.

Ben has always been good at making me laugh and I was always in a better mood around him than with most people I associated with.It upset him a lot to see me so low and miserable.

But he did manage to get me to eat halfway decently.I had continued to refuse all food until he got mad.

The day after I went home with the Dates, he showed up.Ben spent over two hours trying to coax me into eating a sandwich without result.

Finally, he lost it."Dammit, Les!You have to eat!" he'd screamed at me.He's usually not that loud.In fact, he's usually about as quiet as Cye.

Still, I ignored him.

"Shit," he growled."Alright, have it your way, then!"He grabbed my arm and threw me to the floor.I lay there, a little surprised at his uncharacteristic roughness, but otherwise, unmoved.

Ben pinned me to the floor by setting his knees on my upper arms.I kept my mouth firmly shut.He pried it open and stuffed some sandwich in.He held my mouth closed with one hand and one of my eyes open with the other.Then, he blew on my eye.

Now, if you've ever had that done to you, you'd want to kill the person who did it.My eye stung terribly, as if someone had stuck a bunch of needles in it.It teared up so bad I couldn't see, and the whole time, I was trying not to swallow the sandwich.That can't be done.

I swallowed.

Ben did that to me two more times before I agreed to eat my own.I ate three sandwiches in one hour and then I ate supper three hours after that.Ben was watching me the entire time.

The day after I tried to jump off the stairs, I stopped eating again.Maya had Rusty call Ben up and have him come over.Ben forced me to eat again.Then, he called his parents and told them he would be staying the night at the Date house.

I don't know why I didn't hate him.

***********************

Ben stayed for a week.Since he was watching me almost constantly, they didn't keep me tied up after the second day of his stay.I spent most of my time sitting in a window-seat, staring at my feet.Dad had liked to sit in the window-seat at home after working for 10 hours, although he looked out the window, not at his feet.He said that it was nice to look at reality after staring at a computer screen for so long.

I guess that was when I decided that I wanted to go home.Dad's computer might have something for me.He stored everything on that thing, and he and Mom had always been a couple steps ahead of the game, planned on just about everything.So, I thought, maybe they would have left something for me in case something like this happened.

This was the last day of Ben's stay and he was occupying a chair a couple feet from the window-seat.But the night before, I hadn't slept, so Ben had stayed awake to keep an eye on me and was, consequently, very near asleep now.It was a mere few minutes before his face was pressed to the pages of the magazine he'd been reading.

Maya was upstairs somewhere and Rusty had gone to buy some groceries his mother needed.Sage was across the city, which was 20 miles away, working at a dojo, one of many he owned.So, with Ben sleeping soundly, no one was there to stop me.I simply got up and walked away.I didn't even stop to put my shoes on.


	2. Deal With It

Deal With It

Deal With It

*************

My house was about 15 miles away from the Dates'.I don't remember walking all that way—even though it would have taken around 4 hours at the pace I was forced to take—but I eventually found myself in the mudroom, the small room where the back door is.Mom had always demanded that dirty shoes and coat be left in the room and never go through the rest of house.A pair of hiking boots, smothered in mud, was right beside the door.They were the ones I liked to wear when I went into the woods behind the house.

I stared at those boots for a while, not really thinking, then I walked on to the living room.The house was so quiet…I don't think that house had ever been anywhere near that quiet before.

The controls to my Playstation were still on the floor in front of the TV.The game I'd been playing with Ben was still in the console.Even the bag of pixie stix was right where we'd left it.I grabbed the bag and walked towards Dad's study.

Dad made computer programs, hacked through other people's new programs to check for glitches, fixed the glitches, stuff like that.He liked to work at home to be with me.He could be a little overprotective at times and, since Mom was gone Monday through Friday from 9 to 5 at work, he wanted to be home with me "just in case".

I sat down at the computer desk and turned the machine on.Black faded to blue and a little box popped up.

"Password?"I was blank.For lack of better ideas, I typed in _What the hell do you mean: password?_ and struck _Enter_.

To my surprise, it accepted._Figures,_ I thought._Only Dad._

I searched through that computer for quite a while.You don't live with a professional hacker without picking up a few things.I finally resorted to looking through Dad's email.It wasn't hard.I typed in the digits for my birthday for the password.

One of the things Dad programmed was this little spinning top that sat still in the corner of the computer screen and was kinda like a memo-book/calendar/day-planner/informant.It would tell Dad when he was supposed to be doing something and answer questions he asked.

Anyway, when I got in Dad's email, the little top started talking.At first, I couldn't hear it so I turned up the volume on the speakers a bit.

"Send Lessa B-day card," the top's voice was saying over and over.

I was confused.What in the Netherhells was it talking about?I clicked on the top.It stopped spinning and just wobbled.A box popped up, instructing me to type in my question.I typed: _Where is the card?_I was finding it a little difficult to type, since my left hand was still in that ridiculous cast.

The top spun for a second and then replied, stating, "Lessa B-day card is in saved-draft folder of email account."

I opened the saved-draft folder and found a message entitled 'Happy 17th B-day, Lessa!' I opened the message and read.

_Hey Lessie,_

_I guess you're seventeen now, huh? Well, you know how bad I am at birthday speeches, so this is all. Your present is in the attic, in your old baby crib. Love you more than forever,_

Dad 

I ran upstairs.

***********************

When I ripped off the wrapping paper, something shiny clattered to the floor.I put down the rest of the package and felt around for the shiny thing.It turned out to be a key.I pocketed it and tore off the rest of the paper from my present.

It was an archery set…Dad had promised me that he'd get me one day.He'd been teaching me since I was old enough to grip the bow.I thought the set was perfect.

I carried the set downstairs and put it on the sofa.I pulled a pixie stick from the bag, which I'd tied to one of my belt loops.As I walked around the house, I ate one after another of the tubes of sugar.The quiet was starting to get on my nerves.So, I turned up Mom's sound system on some Mozart.

Effectively hyped up on sugar, I started dancing around, conducting an invisible orchestra with yet another pixie stick.I was halfway through Mozart's Concerto No. 3 when I felt it.

A sort of pressure in the air.I stopped pirouetting on the polished-slick coffee table and nearly slipped off, but instead, only landed on my butt.As I did, the key poked me painfully.I pulled it out of my pocket and looked at it.My sugar-high was gone without a trace.

I decided to find the lock to match the key.With the concerto still sounding throughout the house at full volume, I began yet another search.I looked everywhere I could think of.

I found the safe in Mom and Dad's room.It was buried in the back of the closet under Dad's old windbreaker.I sat down on my parents' bed with the metal box and unlocked it.Inside was a tiny box, kinda like a jewelry case, and an envelope with my name on it.I opened the envelope first.

In the letter, Dad encouraged me to live to my fullest.He then told me a lot about Tenku, his yoroi.I kept wondering why he would tell me about the yoroi but read it all anyway.Now, every word my father had left to me was cherished.There was also a note from Mom in the envelope.It told me to be brave in life and always do my best.Both articles stated my parents' love for me repeatedly.

Setting the papers aside, I opened the jewelry box.Resting on a pad of velvet was a little blue sphere, almost crystalline in composition.I went to the window and held the box in the fading sunlight, trying to get a better look into the sphere's depths.I saw a glimpse of an inscription inside it.I turned the sphere's box at an angle.The writing flashed again.

A kanji…my dad's…

I remembered what it stood for: Life.I gingerly touched the orb, realizing abruptly what it was.It was the yoroi.

I was unprepared for what happened next.The kanji ball rose out of its case, completely unaided.I stared and dropped the box.The sphere moved towards me.I stepped back.It moved forward again.

"No," I breathed."I don't want it."The yoroi—I could feel it—was trying to come to me.But it was my father's!I didn't want it to be mine.Somehow, to me, that meant that Dad really _was_ dead and I guess I didn't want to admit to that.

The kanji orb kept coming.I kept backing up."No, no, no, no, no!" I screamed at it. "I don't want it!_Lemme alone_!"I turned and ran out of the room as fast as I could…which, I suddenly discovered, was pretty fast.

I knew it was right behind me.I could feel it, almost like it was crying.I sobbed at that thought and my feet faltered.I scrambled back to my feet, running before my fingers left the floor.I ran into the kitchen and saw that the French doors, the only other way out of the kitchen, and which I'd broken, were boarded up.I was trapped.

The yoroi ball came through the door behind me.I jumped into the pantry and slammed the door.I heard a solid _thwunk_ and then, I could see the blue glimmer through the crack at the bottom of the door."Go away!" I sobbed and stuffed the crack with a cloth bag.

Now, I was in complete darkness.I curled up under then lowest shelf in the pantry, sobbing, as the sphere was still crying."Please, go away…I don't want it, I don't want it…Nether Realms, I don't want it."

I covered my ears against the sound of the orb bumping the door and shut my eyes tight.I don't remember anything beyond that for a while.

***********************

"Dad, can't we go a little faster?"

"No.I'm going over 90," Sage told his son.

Rusty fidgeted and looked out the window again."But what if she's hurt herself?"

Sage didn't answer but his face was grim and his hands clenched the steering wheel so tightly that they turned white.

It was 9:31 p.m. and Sage had only gotten home 5 minutes ago.He'd found his wife and son rushing about the house and Ben yanking his jacket on.Apparently, Ben had drifted off while watching Lessa sometime around 5 o'clock, and now she was nowhere to be found.Sage and Rusty had gotten in the car and headed for the Hashiba house.Ben and Maya had begun searching around the Date home.

"What if she's not there?"

Sage glanced at Rusty."I'm pretty sure that's where she'll be.For some reason, it just _feels_ like that's where she is."

"Huh?"

"I don't know."

"Oh."

The clock on the dashboard turned to 9:32.Sage looked at the empty road ahead and floored the accelerator.

***********************

The moment his father swung the car into the drive, Rusty jumped out.He ran for the front door and yanked at the doorknob."Dad!Keys!"

Sage, not far behind, called, "In the flower pot to your right!"

Rusty found the keys and unlocked the door.He burst through and was assaulted by a pounding onslaught of classical music.He slapped his hands over his ears reflexively and looked about for the source of the sound.A big sound system in the corner of the den was issuing the music forth.Rusty turned it off.

Sage was at the open door of Rowen's old study."Go look in the bedrooms, Rusty," he said.He headed for the computer, which was spilling a blue glow onto the floor.He read the birthday message and headed upstairs.

Rusty, meanwhile, had found the letters on Rowen and Allie's bed and the jewelry case on the floor.He took both and went back to the den."Dad?" he called.

"Here."Sage was coming down the stairs.Behind Rusty, on the sofa, he could see an archery set."What did you find?"

"These."The teen handed him the papers and the box."But I didn't find Lessa…Dad, what if—what if she…"

"Rusty, don't think about that.Be quiet and listen.Maybe we'll hear something."

So they were silent.

Then, there was a soft _thud_.And another.And another.

"The kitchen," said Rusty and ran for the door to that room.

But in the kitchen, there was no trace of the thudding sound.Sage entered behind his son, who was standing bewildered in the middle of the room."I was sure it came from here," Rusty mumbled."Hey…what's that?"

He pointed at a strange little crystal ball rolled up against the pantry door.Sage's eyes widened.He picked up the little orb respectfully and tears came to his eyes."Rowen's," he choked.

Rusty was still listening intently.Abruptly, he swung the pantry door open.

"No!" the hunched figure inside cried out.She was scrunched up into a ball, her hands over her ears, her eyes shut tight, and she was sobbing and screaming now."I don't want it, please, no…go away…no, no, no, no, no, no, no!Leave me alone…Daddy…oh gods, oh God, please…I don't want it!"

Rusty had to get down on his hands and knees to pull Lessa out form beneath the lowest shelf.At first, she tried to fight him away and screamed like he was burning her.Then she actually looked at him, recognized him, and let herself collapse, crying shamelessly.

Rusty pulled her into his arms and held her to him.He stroked the back of her head and rocked back and forth like a mother with a frightened child.He murmured comforting sounds—he could think of no words to console her.She just sobbed into his shirt.

Helplessly, Rusty looked up at his father.Sage's face was deathly pale.The letters were in his hand."The yoroi…" he breathed.

***********************

"What's wrong?" whispered Rusty.

They were on their way home.Rusty was sitting in the back seat of the car, Lessa halfway on his lap.They'd never managed to get her to let go of him so they'd waited till she cried herself to sleep and then carried her out to the car.They were trying hard not to wake her up.

Sage glanced at his son in the rearview mirror."The letter Rowen left for Lessa," he said quietly, "was encoded."

"When we were in high school, Ryo and Cye got in trouble once for talking in class.So, they passed notes instead.One of their classmates got hold of one note and humiliated them.Rowen came up with a code so we could pass notes without needing to worry about someone reading them."

"I follow you so far," Rusty said.

"Well, all you did was write a harmless letter or note and write the code in as you went.People saw a normal letter, but if you knew Rowen's code, you saw another note among the other words…"

"So, that letter Rowen left for Lessa used that code?"

"Yes.He wrote the regular letter for Lessa…but the coded message was for me and the other Ronin."

"And?"

Sage looked down at the jewelry box on the seat."And Lessa doesn't want it."

***********************

I couldn't talk.My voice was gone.I'd screamed and cried so much the day before that I'd gone hoarse and couldn't get much sound out.So, I wasn't able to participate in any conversation that morning.

It was the day after my birthday and I'd decided to join the others for breakfast.They'd seemed surprised when I walked in the dining room and sat down at the table next to Rusty.

"How're you feeling, Les?" Rusty asked.

I couldn't help it.I grinned.I would've laughed, but that's kind of hard when you don't have a voice.So, I pointed at my throat and mouthed, I can't talk.

Rusty smiled and laughed. Sage gave me one of those soft smiles.Maya looked very pleased.

I was hungry.I tapped Rusty's arm and pointed at the bacon, which was out of my reach."Pass the bacon, please," he said for me.From then on, Rusty was my translator.

***********************

"Why don't you take Les out for her birthday?"

"That was yesterday."Rusty looked at his father curiously.

"So?I doubt you could call yesterday much of a birthday.She certainly didn't have much fun."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Lessa had been asleep on the couch, but she woke up then.She mouthed something at Rusty, her expression sarcastically angry.Rusty laughed."She says 'Don't I have a say in this?'" he said for her.

Sage put his arm around the girl's shoulders."You could go pick up Ben and the twins and go see a movie or something.It'll be on me."

Lessa nodded and smiled.Sage gave her a hug and walked off to the kitchen, where Maya was making phone calls for him.

***********************

Rusty watched his cousin stoking her bow.She looked so different from the girl who'd tried to kill herself only about a week before.Lessa lovingly caressed every inch of the weapon, which she'd insisted on bringing along.

"Lessa?"

She looked up at him with a smile.

"What…um…what happened yesterday?"

Her face went blank, sending a chill up his spine.That's what she'd looked like when she got out of the hospital.

Her face went blank, sending a chill up his spine.That's what she'd looked like when she got out of the hospital.

She had regained some of her voice and she said quietly, "I don't want to talk about it.The only thing important…is that I've let Mom and Dad go."

Rusty grabbed her hand and held it tight.Lessa smiled softly.Peering out from beneath her black bangs, her eyes, though cheerful and grateful, still held sorrow in their depths."I'm fine," she said.

He just smiled.

"Okay, guys," a voice suddenly startled them."Sori's either gonna be another ten minutes, come out right now…or we could leave without him," suggested Kyri, smiling wickedly as she leaned through Lessa's window.

"Don't you dare!" shouted Kyri's twin as he slammed the door behind him.Sori stormed down the Mouri house's front steps.

"Kyri, quick!" Lessa croaked and swung open the car door.Kyri jumped in and they locked the doors.Kyri's elbow bumped Rusty's head.

"Ow!"

Lessa yanked the car about and sped out of the drive."OW!!!" Rusty repeated as he was accidentally slapped.Lessa and Kyri laughed.Sori was running behind the car, obviously furious.

"I thought Ryo and Dad taught you how to drive!" laughed Kyri.

"So?I am my father's daughter, dammit, and I'll drive like him if I want to!" Lessa replied.Her voice was coming back.At this comment, Rusty looked a bit nervous.But his cousin was smiling and laughing.

Behind them, Sori finally gave up and sat down in the middle of the road.Lessa stopped the car and put it in reverse.When they were alongside the angry boy, she leaned out the open window and said, "Okay, you can get in now.Don't take so long next time, though."

Sori got in back and grabbed Kyri by the shoulders, dragging her over the seat into the back with him."I _didn't_ take a long time!"

"Did too.We were waiting for at least ten minutes," exclaimed Kyri, setting herself to rights."And don't drag me over the seat like that!"

"Don't drag me over the seat like that!" Sori mocked.Kyri punched him."Owww…" He punched her back.

"Okay, you two, break it up…Netherhells, I sound like your father," laughed Lessa.

"Oh, great!_Two_ Dads.Just what we need," chorused the twins.

Rusty glanced back at them."Okay, that's just weird," he said.

Lessa just laughed.

***********************

"Ben, they're here!" Judah bellowed over the din."Rinfi, put that down!"She glared at the 6 year old, who was holding a glass pitcher.

"Bye, Ma," said Ben and kissed his mother's cheek as he tried to get to the door.A little girl, around 7 years old, hung on his back with her arms around his neck.

"Tess, let go of your brother," ordered Judah.Tess stuck out her tongue and ran off with Rinfi.

"Oh, wait a second, Ben…"

Ben halted.He could hardly hear what else his mother said."I can't hear you!" he shouted over the music that was blaring through the house.

"Lily!" shouted Judah."Turn down that music and come here!"

The music died down and then the sound of feet sliding across a wood floor was heard."What?" the 15-year-old girl asked.

Ben, could you see if Lily can go with you?"

"Ma!" both teens exclaimed.

"Sorry, but I don't know what else to do with you," said the tired woman."Your father is going to be gone today and I need to take Tess and Rinfi shopping.I thought you'd like to go to the movies with Lessa and Rusty and Ben and twins."

"Oh, fine," growled Lily.

"I'll go check," said Ben quietly.

***********************

"White?Why white?" I asked, trying not to stare.

Lily was sandwiched between Ben and Kyri in the back seat.Sori was squashed against the door.I was glancing in the rearview mirror.Ben was smiling at my expression and Sori and Kyri were laughing their heads off.Rusty was trying to sleep.Lily was looking pleased with my shock.

Lily's hair was white.

"I like it this way," she responded simply.

"But…didn't your mother freak?" I couldn't quite believe that Aunt Judah would've been so lax.

"Yeah.She's getting used to it, though."

I glanced back out her again, still incredulous."White?"

Lily mimicked my tone."Blue?"

At that moment, something changed inside me.

***********************

"See you guys later!" I called to the others.

We were at the mall.We'd already seen the movie and eaten at a Japanese restaurant.Now, we were splitting up to hang out in various places.The twins were headed for the arcades, of course.Rusty and Ben had mentioned something about a weapon-oriented store.Lily was with me.

As the others left our sight, Rusty glancing back at me a few times, Lily asked, "You sure you want to do this?"

I pulled at a wisp of my hair, yanking it out.It was black and soft and so much like my mother's."Yes," I told her.

"Okay, then let's go.The salon closes in two hours."And she led the way through the mall.

Both my hands were holding things.My right one held that wisp of hair.My left was in my jacket pocket, and it was holding something smooth and light yet heavy and round.


	3. Where the Heart Is

Where the Heart Is

Where the Heart Is

*************

Ryo sat in the chair and thought.He held an empty box in his hand and was watching Cye read a paper.Sage was in another chair and Kento sat on the couch beside Cye, reading over his shoulder.

"But this is…" Cye trailed off.

"Impossible?" Sage said for him."I thought the same thing at first.But last night, while she was sleeping, I took Rowen's orb in Lessa's room.It tried to fly straight at her."

"But where is it _now_?" inquired Ryo.

Sage glanced at the empty box in Ryo's hands."I don't know.It may have followed Lessa or she might have taken it."

"You said that she didn't want it, though," Kento said."In fact, from what you told us, she was hysterical over it.If it followed her—"

"I told Rusty what to do if that sort of thing happened.He'll tell Ben, too, so there isn't much reason to worry."

"Okay, but what about Rowen's message?" Cye pointed out.

"Trouble."Ryo took the letter from Cye and looked it over for probably the 7th time."We should call Mia.I don't know how Rowen knew all this, but we should at least make sure… And do you guys remember why we moved to America in the first place?"

"We just felt like we really should," recalled Kento."Maybe this is it."

"I can't understand it.I can't quite see Sori or Kyri inheriting Suiko."Cye ran his hand through his hair in thought.

"And out of Tess, Ben, Lily, and Rinfi…Kongo choosing one of them…" Kento was obviously unsure what to think.

"Rusty and Korin," mused Sage.

"What about Rekka?"

The other three Ronins looked at Ryo, suddenly confused.

"If Rowen was right, and our children will inherit our yoroi, but I don't have any children…what happens to Rekka?"Ryo almost laughed."And another thing: according to Rowen, the yoroi will only go to the next bearer if it's about to be needed.So, since Tenku is following Lessa…"

"But she doesn't want it," said Sage.

"We'd have to train her quickly if she's going to be ready for whatever the trouble is."

For a while, the surviving Ronins contemplated all of this in silence.

"I think you should talk to the kids," said Maya suddenly.

The men jumped.They hadn't even known she was in the room.She continued, "They should have a say in this.And for all you know, they may be willing to start training right away.Maybe they even have an idea of who the yoroi will choose."

Before anyone else could say a word, Ryo stood up."She's right.Lessa doesn't want Tenku, right?"

Sage nodded.

"But: _why_?"

Sage blinked."I'm not sure…" he realized.

Ryo closed his eyes and thought."I'll bet you a hundred to one it's because of Rowen.Les probably thinks that her having Tenku would be like pushing whatever part of her father that's still alive to its death.She doesn't want to admit that he really is gone."

"That sounds like it's probably true," commented Cye.

Kento, however, was shaking his head."But Sage said she was acting normally this morning, the way she did before they died.She's doing better."

Ryo nodded."Right Kento!Tenku coming to her forced Lessa to face her problem.She's learned to deal with it.So, I think that by now, she may be ready to accept Tenku."

"That would solve a few more of our problems…"

Maya was still waiting."So?Are you going to talk to them, or not?"

"Yes."Cye brought something out of his pocket."If one of my kids is going to be dealing with this, I want them to be prepared properly."He set his kanji orb on the table that sat in the center of the room.

Sage traced the kanji on his yoroi ball.He placed it beside Cye's."Rusty might need to use Korin soon.I'm sure he'll agree that he needs to know more about it."

"We're going to have to find Rekka's next bearer soon, then…" Ryo glanced at his closest friends with a grim face."Guys, we need to do this with one thing in mind… We might not be around to help them through the next war."

On the table, four of the yoroi gleamed together.Over them, the Ronins exchanged a look that told Maya more than she wanted to know about the situation.

***********************

"Excuse my French, but…_Damn!_"

"Well, gee, thanks, Lily."I was looking in the mirror at the salon.The hairdresser behind me looked somewhat surprised and impressed with how her work had turned out.I had had her cut my hair to the neckline and directed her through the process of cutting my bangs just so.There was that one lock, like the one my father had, that crossed my nose and was always ornery.And she'd died my hair the same blue as Dad's.

Lily whistled."If I didn't know better, I'd say you were a longer-haired version of Uncle Rowen himself."

"Yeah."I smiled."Now we have to go to a jeweler's."

"A jeweler's?Why?"

I opened my hand to show her the lock of black hair I'd had the hairdresser cut off right at the start of the whole thing.I needed something from my mother left to me.That was all I had.My hair had always been exactly like Mom's."I want this in a locket, so I can keep it with me."

"Oh.Well, I think there's one that could do that sort of thing at the other end of the mall.Pay the people and let's go.The guys expect us to meet them at the food court in twenty minutes."She hurried out of the salon while I paid the fee.

At the jeweler's, I explained what I wanted.The jeweler said that it wouldn't be done for at least 30 minutes.So, I told him that I'd be back in time to pick it up and Lily and I headed for the food court.When we got there, we could see the twins sitting in the Chic-fil-A, goofing off as usual."Hey, you Mouri loons!" I called to them.

They looked around, confused.They even looked right at me and then past me.I nearly laughed myself to death.Lily was practically falling over in laughter.I walked up to them.Sori's eyes nearly popped out of his head."_Les?_"

"Yep."

"Your hair…" trailed off Kyri.

"Yep."I sat down."What do you think?"

"I think I stared at those vid games too long."

"Me too," added Kyri.

Sori reached across the table and fingered my hair."It _feels_ the same.Just…it's blue, now."

"Okay, okay."I swiped his hand aside."Have you seen Ben and Rusty?"

"Yeah," said Kyri."They're a bit busy, right now.Some guy at the weapon store challenged Rusty to a sword-fight.Nothing serious, just a bit of fun."

Sori was grinning."Rust's gonna beat that guy's ass to a pulp!"Kyri nodded.

I laughed."Let's go watch, then."

"But I'm hungry!" protested Lily.

I sat back down."Now that you mention it, I'm pretty hungry myself…I guess we have time to grab a sandwich and go watch Rusty before I get my locket."

"Locket?"

"I'm having a lock of my hair put in one of those special lockets.The jeweler said it'd be done not long from now."

"Okay, then who wants what?I'll go order everything," volunteered Kyri.

We gave her our orders and she went to get in line.I sat there with Sori and Lily and slid my hands into my windbreaker's pockets.While we waited, I rolled the little round thing around in my hands, rubbing it, memorizing the feel of it.Kyri finally came back with a tray full of food."I got a couple extra sandwiches for the guys so they won't get mad at us for eating without them."

"Good idea," I said and grabbed my food.

***********************

We ate as we walked.First, we went for my locket.I slipped it on around my neck and fingered it as we went on towards the weapon store.

The weapon store is big enough for two stores.And in the back, they have a little slanting hallway that leads to another building, an annex.That other building houses the arena.Every once in a while, they host a fight there.And once a year, a local dojo has a big competition there.Rusty has taken challenges often enough there that all the employees and other frequent customers know him by name.

We got seats in the front row.There are only seven rows, though.Anyway, Rusty was down there in the arena, fighting a man who was quite a bit bigger than our friend.Ben was down there, too, cheering Rusty on.Sori called to him and caught his attention.Rusty didn't notice a thing.He was completely focused on his opponent.But Ben came up to us."Lessa?You…your hair…"

I just rolled my eyes."Yeah, yeah.So, who's our boy up against?"

"You'll never guess."

"You're right.I won't.I'm not in the mood to."

"Alright.It's Samuel Akutagawa."

"The headmaster of that dojo Sage is archrivals with?"

"One and the same."

Lily whistled."Well, how 'bout that.Does Rusty know?"

"Yeah.But neither of them are letting that make a difference…or at least, that's what they said."

"Oh, boy," said Kyri and Sori.

"You can say that again," I said.

"Oh, b—"

"I didn't mean that."

"Oh."

So we watched Rusty and Akutagawa matching each other move for move.It seemed to me that they were equal.Then, I noticed that Rusty had a certain look in his eyes.The one that means he's holding back.I was confused.Why would he do that?As the fight stretched into its second hour, and the other people watching left, I became even more puzzled.Finally, Kyri glanced at her watch."Crap!" she exclaimed.

"What?"

"We're in trouble.We were supposed to be home fifteen minutes ago!"

Ben sighed."Great.I think we better call off the fight."

"Eh…how ya gonna do that?" I asked.

"Well, I was hoping you'd do it."

"Me?!"

"Yeah.When you talk, people tend to notice more."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"He's right, though," Sori said."It's hard to ignore you.You're too…forceful."

I sighed."Okay, fine.I'll go tell 'em."I walked down to the arena edge and said to Rusty's back, "Hey, Rusty!Time to go."

He didn't hear me, of course.Neither did Akutagawa.

I thought for a moment, then grabbed a bucket of water that was sitting beside a folding chair on the floor.I threw the water over the two combatants.They were both drenched.

I couldn't help laughing.The others started laughing, too.Akutagawa was just surprised.

Rusty was mad.No, he was _furious_.

"Eheh.Eh…Um, gotta run!" I bolted up the aisle to the door and through the weapon shop.Rusty was close on my tail and the others followed him.I don't know about Akutagawa; I was too busy running.

By the time I reached the car out in the parking lot, I had outdistanced them all by quite a ways.While I made myself comfortable in the car, locking the doors, they were only just coming out of the mall entrance/exit.Rusty got to the car first.He tried the door and then glared at me when it wouldn't open."Unlock the door, Les!" he shouted at me.

"No!" I shook my head vigorously."You'll kill me!"

"You're right about that," he said."Now, open the door!"

I simply shook my head and turned on the radio.

Kyri and Sori were at the car now, too."Hey!" whined Sori."The door's locked."

Kyri sighed."Yes, Sori.The door is locked.Quit whining like a baby."She looked at me."Are you gonna let us in?"

"Only if Rusty promises not to kill me."

"Rusty…" Ben leaned against the car, trying to catch his breath."Just promise her, already."

Rusty glared at all of them.It's rather funny to me to see him angry.With that dusty red-brown hair of his, and those hazel eyes, it only makes him look handsome when he's angry.His eyes just _crackle_…Mom was right.I _do_ find humor in the strangest places.

"I give up!" yelled Rusty."Lessa, I promise not to ki—hey…your hair…"

"Jeez Louise!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up."What is it with you people and my hair?!"

Rusty finally promised not to kill me.I said that if he got in the back seat, I'd let them in.Kyri and Sori practically shoved him in there and sat on either side of him.Lily squeezed herself in. Ben got the passenger seat.I drove the car out of the parking lot.

Rusty glimpsed the clock on the dashboard."Man, we're late!" he said.

"No, duh!Why did you think I got you all wet?"

"To be a brat."

"Well, I didn't.And it's not like you were really trying to beat Akutagawa, anyway."

Rusty looked indignant, another of his expressions that amuses me for some reason."So what?"

"Nothing."I grinned."Just saying it's not like you to hold back."

"Yeah, well, I did.Subject closed."

The twins smirked.Ben raised his eyebrows at me.That did it.I burst out laughing.

"Hey!Watch the road!" screamed Lily.

I swerved the car away from the oncoming truck."Sorry!"

"Liar!" the twins shouted.

I threw a pen from the dashboard at them.

***********************

When I opened the door to the Date house, the last thing I expected was to be picked off my feet in a hug.

Ryo squeezed me till I gasped, "Love you, too…you're crushing me…"

He laughed and put me down."Sorry, Lessie.I'm just happy to see you."

"So I noticed."I stepped sideways as the still-wet Rusty shoved past me.

Ryo was looking at my hair."When did you do this?" he asked.

"At the mall today.Like it?"

He grinned."Yes.Come on into the den.Sage and I want to talk to you."

"If it's about how I've been acting the past couple weeks—"

"No.Nothing to do with that.Come on."He led the way.

***********************

Two hours later, I was sitting in Ryo's truck.I was going to stay with him.This arrangement was quite pleasing to me.Out of all my uncles, I have to admit that Ryo was my favorite.And the fact that I was _his_ favorite added to the favorable conditions.

I've always liked Ryo's place, too.It's a cabin up in the mountains a good three hours away from the city.There's a little pond beside it and there's always some interesting wildlife hanging out there.It's simply a nice place.I remember many a happy summer spent there and a couple Christmases, too.

Ryo came out of the Date house and soon we were off down the road.Turning onto the highway that led into the mountains, he said, "So, why'd you change your hair?"

I told him about Lily.He laughed."She's always been rather rebellious.She used to say all the time that it was silly of her parents to name her Lily when she's so dark."

"She's not that dark.Just really tan."

"Anyway, she said once that she ought to die her hair white if only to give her name a bit more meaning."

"Hmph.But then when I asked her 'why white?', she said 'blue?'.And I felt different.I just _wanted_ to look more like Dad…Maybe it had something to do with this."I pulled the little round thing out of my pocket.

Ryo jumped.

It was the Tenku orb.When we'd been at the movies, I'd felt something in my pocket.I had known right away what it was.But that time, instead of hating it, I'd been comforted by its presence.It was almost like having Dad there with me.And I felt so right.I felt like…like I was part of something.That I wasn't alone.It was a good feeling.

"Lessa…do you know what that is?"

"Of course.How could I not know what something so close to my soul is?Ryo, you know that all of us kids, except Tess and Rinfi, know about the yoroi.You guys always made it a point to tell us when we were old enough to understand.And Dad explained to me once about how the yoroi chooses its bearers.He's gone now…So, it needed a new bearer.It chose _me_.I've accepted it."

Ryo glanced at the orb, then at me."You sure?"

I sighed, exasperated."Yes."

"Then we're going to have to get to work."

"Huh?"

"If you're going to use Tenku, you have to start training."

"Wait a second here!Who said anything about using it?"

"He didn't tell you?" Ryo looked just as surprised as I felt.

"Tell me what?"

Ryo glared at the road before us."Open the glovebox," he said."Those letters from your parents are in there."

I took the letters out and shrugged."What do these have to do with it?"

"There's another paper in the glovebox.See it?"

"Yeah."

"Read it."

I read the paper.It was the key to a code."What is this?" I asked.

"It's a code your father made for us to use back in high school.Now, use that code on your father's letter."

"Oookaaayyy." When I was through rereading the letter, I had to think for a bit.The information in that letter was somewhat overwhelming.

Dad was warning us.The yoroi, he wrote, would only go to a new bearer in the incident of a former one's demise, if it were about to be needed.And since Tenku had come to me…trouble was on the way.

"But…"

"Lessa, it's okay.Everything'll be fine," soothed Ryo.

I calmed down.Ryo always had that affect on me.Mom told me once that when I was a baby and it seemed there was no way to make me stop crying, Ryo had me asleep in five minutes.I think Ryo saw me as his daughter, too, in a way, since he had no children of his own.I'll never understand, though, why he never made that…_connection_ with my cousins.

"So, I guess I should start training…What about the others, though?"

"We already discussed it.The guys are going to talk to Rusty and the twins and Ben and Lily about it.We decided that it was very unlikely that Kongo would choose Tess or Rinfi as a bearer."

I had to agree with that.The little girls were too young for the yoroi."What do you think the trouble is?"

Ryo shook his head."Don't know.We have no idea how your dad even knew all this stuff.Do you know why the guys and I came to America in the first place?"

"Yeah.Dad said it was because you just sensed that you should."

"Right.Well, this is probably why.Our yoroi make us a little more perceptive to some things.Think about it, though.If we hadn't come to America, your father would probably never have met your mother and you wouldn't be here."

"And Uncle Sage wouldn't have met Maya.But Cye met Tachiku in Japan.And Kento and Judah met each other in Egypt, when he went on that architectural trip."

"True.But Cye had already known Tachiku for years.And Kento wouldn't have become so well known in the architecture world if he hadn't built that house for that man in New York; he never would have gone to Egypt.So, you see, the yoroi sent us to America for a reason.It's strange about things like that.It must've known that here was the place where the next bearers would come from."

"I suppose so."There was one more thing still bothering me, though…"But what about Rekka?"

Ryo smiled."That's another thing we discussed today.Either I'll be keeping Rekka through the next war, the new bearer won't be related to me, or one of you kids will have to handle _two_ yoroi."

I was shocked."No.That wouldn't happen."

He laughed."Ah, but you don't know about the warlords."

Blank."Okay, you got me."

"You've heard a few stories about the Demon Wars.But we never explained about the _entire_ thing.You see, there were other yoroi besides ours."

He told me about Cale, Sekhmet, Anubis, Dais, and Kayura.

"And Anubis's yoroi went to Kayura.Her own yoroi vanished and since then, she's only used Anubis's.But she said that she can still feel hers inside her, waiting.She bears _two_ yoroi."

"But she was different.She was an Ancient," I pointed out.

"That doesn't matter.A soul is just a soul once you get down to it and both yoroi wouldn't have bonded with her soul just because of all that other power.The same thing could happen to any one of us."

I finally decided that there were some things that I should just not bother arguing about."Okay," I said."So I start training when?"

"Tomorrow morning."

I tried my best to look terribly disappointed and unhappy with that idea."Morning?"

"Yep.No sleeping in for you."

"Oh.Well, in that case, I'm gonna start sleeping right now.G'night, Ryo."I curled up in the seat and basically just "shut down", as Dad used to put it.

"Night, Lessie."


	4. Memory

Memory

Memory

*************

It's no secret that Ryo once had a crush on Mia Koji.But he got over it, as did Sage.Sage loves Maya as if she were his entire universe, the only thing worth having.Ryo simply was attracted to Mia for a little while because, in his words, "he was young and eager to have a relationship."Then he met some other girl, I can never remember her name for the life of me, who he only knew for a very short time.I remember someone mentioning that it was a little amusing that Ryo and she met only because she was trying to kill my father… He really loved her.She was killed… Ryo hasn't loved a woman that way since.

Cye says that Ryo's a loner.He's wrong.Ryo was never alone.He carried the loved ones he'd lost inside him always.I know that sounds terribly corny…actually, it _is_ corny…but that's the only way I can put it.

Mom used to think that the reason Ryo liked me so much was because I was the first of his nieces and nephews that he saw.Ryo lived in California for a long time after the Ronins moved to America.Kento, Cye, and Sage all settled in the Denver area.Mom was from Chicago and Dad met her there.They moved to Brooklyn just before I was born.That's where we lived until I was four years old.When I was three months old, Mom got a promotion at her job.She had to go to California for a month and a half for special training, but she didn't want to leave me.Dad couldn't get off work.

Their solution was to arrange for Mom to stay with Ryo while she was in California.So, she took me and caught a plane to a city close to the area Ryo was currently calling home.Mom told me about how Ryo first met me.

She said, "I walked up to the door and he opened it before I even touched the doorbell.He offered to take my bags from me.You were all wrapped up in a blanket and I was holding you in one arm and my suitcase in the other.He took the suitcase _and_ you!"

Ryo didn't realize that I wasn't baggage.Somehow, in all the planning, my parents had each thought the other had told Ryo about me.As it turned out, neither of them had and he didn't even know I existed.When Mom told him that the bundle of blankets he was holding was a little girl, she said he nearly panicked.

While Mom went to work and training, I stayed with Ryo.I spent nine hours a day, five days a week with Ryo.By the time Mom and I went home to Brooklyn, he was quite fond of me.A year later, Ryo moved to Colorado.And when I was four, Mom and Dad decided to move there, too.Ryo was a frequent visitor from the day we moved into our new house.Once, when I was about eleven years old, Ryo was staying with me while my parents were both out of town.Not aware that he wasn't home, Cye came by to ask Dad something.

What he found was me sleeping in Ryo's lap on the couch.I woke up when he said, "Aww, how cute!"Ryo chased him around the house while I sat there laughing.

I've always felt almost as close to Ryo as to my own parents.

…We know when there's something wrong with each other…

***********************

"G'way!"

Ryo grinned.He tapped his niece's forehead again.This time she just grunted, which was more of a response than he'd received the other five times he'd done it."Les, get up," he said again.

She stuck her tongue out at him, pulled her blankets over her face, and rolled over."Worse 'n tin cans," he heard her slur.

"Hey, that's uncalled for," he laughed.

She didn't respond.

"Okay, if that's how it's gonna be…" He walked out of the room.

A minute later, the Hashiba girl found herself being dragged in her tightly wrapped blankets across the wood floor of her room and out the front door of the cabin.She growled and pulled herself free of the blankets, only to land on the needle-strewn ground with an irritated grunt.She scrambled back to her feet, indignant.

"Alright, I don't care how much older and wiser than me you are, you're goin'—" She stopped short as she turned around and found herself looking directly into the harsh, muddy golden eyes of a cat…

A really _big_ cat.

"Down," she finished.

From behind her, Ryo laughed."Well?"

"Netherhells…"

Ryo laughed again."Lessa, meet Goldette.Goldette, this is Lessa."

"Aw, jeez…" Lessa remained motionless, excepting that low groan."Nice kitty.Good kitty."

Goldette was a mountain lion, a cougar.She was obviously healthy, as could be told by the perfect reddish-gold of her fur, the bright snap in her eyes and the delicate perk of the tips of her ears.The cougar held the corner of Lessa's blanket in her mouth.Even as Lessa noted that, Goldette dropped the corner.It had two small holes in it where the big cat's sharp canines had pierced the fabric.She sat regally on the forest floor that was the cabin's front lawn, watching Lessa with interest.

Lessa couldn't help closing her eyes and whispering the litany that she always found herself reciting when confronted with something slightly…_upsetting_…such as this."Oh god, oh gods, oh nether realms, oh crap, oh man, oh boy, oh jeez, oh freak…"

Ryo sauntered down from his porch to stand beside the girl."What's the matter, Lessa?Cat got your tongue?"

"Big," was her only reply.

Ryo sat down on the ground."Yes, she's big.Now, are you gonna stand there all day or what?"

Lessa automatically glared at him, then froze when she realized that she'd moved."Ohhhh…"

She abruptly was knocked off her feet from behind.She quickly threw her arms up over her head."Oh god, oh gods, oh nether realms, oh cra—"

She was bumped again and shut up.When nothing happened, she opened one eye carefully, ready to scream.

Once again, the cat was staring her in the face."Eh," said Lessa.Goldette bumped her full in the face with her own forehead.Lessa was so surprised that she fell backwards and just lay there.Goldette stood over her, Ryo laughing in the background, and then nuzzled the girl's cheek.

"Oh.Aw, I knew all along that you were a sweet one."

"Sure.That's why you kept saying 'oh god, oh gods, oh—'" Ryo began to mock, but was silenced when his niece shoved him back to the ground he'd just stood up from.

Lessa shook herself, yanking needles and leaves out of her hair."So?What's the story?"

"Story?"The man stood up, walking back towards the cabin.Goldette padded after him elegantly.

Lessa closed the door behind her."Yeah.She didn't just appear.I was here just four months ago and there was no big kitty running around."

Ryo went into the little kitchen alcove off the den/dining room and took a pot off the burner.There were six eggs boiling in the hot water in the pot.He wrapped each egg in a big napkin and placed them in a large Zip-lock bag.Without really looking at what he was doing, he reached over to the small bit of counter beside the sink and grabbed a couple of apples out of a basket and a little bottle of salt.He tossed one apple to Lessa and bit into the other himself.

"Story…" he mumbled as he chewed.He opened the refrigerator and gathered two bottles of frozen water, a bag of big grapes, and a container holding something made up of lots of tiny little white beadlike things.He bundled it all into a cloth bag, the apple still in his mouth, and thought.His face lightened and he swiped three oranges from the fruit basket.

"Ryo!"

"Oh, right," he said, pulling the apple from his mouth.He glanced at Lessa's apple and laughed."You already ate almost all of it!"

She scowled."So?"

"You eat like Kento and your dad.I bet Allie would throw a fit over that.She hated the way they scarfed down food."

"Uh, Ryo," she snorted, "Kento still _does_ eat that way."

"Right."He laughed and shouldered the bag, walking towards his bedroom and opening the closet."Goldette showed up _six_ months ago, actually.I just woke up one morning, got it into my head to go for a walk, and happened to run into a nine-month-old puma cub that sat smack in the middle of a deer path.Of course, I wasn't going to take the chance that its mama was around so I turned back and walked home again.The whole time, she was right behind me.She spent the day in my yard, just sitting there like she was waiting.I did chores all day, whatever, always watching for the mother, and the cub never took her eyes off me.The next morning, I came out, and there she was, right where I'd seen her last."

Lessa waited a moment, watching Ryo root through the contents of the closet."…and?" she asked, when he failed to continue.

"Well," he turned around smiling, "then she stole my yoroi."

"What?" She couldn't help but be surprised.

"She stole my yoroi."He handed her a sheathed katana and a very old cloth bag."Hold onto those.Go get your bow…No, not your arrows."Lessa was confused for a moment, but did as he said.He led the way out of the cabin, Lessa following with an exasperated expression.

As she left the cabin, she automatically reached behind her to swing the door shut, only to nearly trip over herself as nothing met her hand.She turned around, confused, to discover the cougar had closed the door."Oh…okay…" She hurried to catch up to her uncle, Goldette easily getting to him first without even trotting.When Lessa was alongside Ryo she grabbed his arm."So then what happened?"

He laughed."What do you think?I got all huffy-puffy, thinking she was with the Dynasty or something.Ended up chasing her up one side of the mountain and down the other without stopping to think about supplies.It was a whole week and two days before I got back home.And I probably wouldn't have made it that far if not for her help.She kept me fed, bringing me little "gifts", but never letting me get close enough to get Rekka back.Once I woke up to discover that she'd dragged me about fifteen miles.She even brought me a bucket of water once…I never did figure out where she got that bucket…"

Goldette actually looked smugly proud.She all but pranced ahead of them, batting a small branch off the path at one point.Lessa couldn't help laughing.

"Anyway, when we got home, she returned my yoroi.I think the whole thing was her way of proving that I should trust her.After that, she was always around.Naming her was quite a challenge.If she didn't like a name I tried, she'd knock me around a bit.But she liked Goldette.And I kept getting a vibe from her.I remembered finally that that was the sort of vibe I used to get from Blaze.I think she's like him."

"Oh?"

Ryo nodded."By the time you came up to visit four months ago, Goldette had taken to going on hunting trips by herself every other day.She was on one when you came up."

"Oh."

"And that's all."

Lessa shrugged."Okay.So, where're we going?"

"To train, duh!"

She sighed."Oh…but why do I need a katana?Tenku uses archery."

"Your father knew how to use a sword.There's always a chance that you might lose your primary weapon in battle; you have to have a backup plan."

"Eh, good point.So, I'll be training with a katana _and_ bow and arrows.I can handle that."

"No.You'll be training with a katana, bow and arrows, naginata, tetsubo, yari, no-datchi, the whole nine yards."

"_What?!_"

"The guys and I decided that the more weapons you were able to use effectively, the better.We have plenty of scars that could have been avoided if we hadn't been biased in our skills with weapons."

"Ah, but Ryo—"

"No buts!It's for your own good."

Lessa halted in her tracks.

Ryo turned around."Les?"

_Do you remember…_

_…I know what you're thinking…_

_Don't you ever do that again!_

_I didn't know._

_We shouldn't have come here…_

_…I know everything…_

_She won't last the night.I've won and you know it!_

_There will be others…_

_No!Don't do it!_

_Promise to remember…_

_…I promise…_

"Lessa!"

Lessa jerked and stared at him."Ryo, I—"

Ryo saw the fright in her eyes and pulled her close."It's okay.You're safe."_Gods, she's shaking all over.And she's so cold!_

The girl pressed her face to his chest, trying to get as close as she could.She didn't cry but she almost wanted to."They were all so loud…" she gasped, her breathing ragged."He was mad.He wanted to…and she…"

Ryo stared down at the top of his niece's head, noting that there were a few black hairs still amongst the blue._I must've said something_, he thought._I must've reminded her of something.It couldn't have been about her parents, could it?_He let her cling to him, stroking her hair soothingly."You're okay, honey.You're safe with me.It's okay.Sshhh…"

They stood there for a few minutes, in the middle of the forest, Goldette looking on.And as he comforted his friend's daughter, Ryo was left to wonder.

What had they gotten themselves into?

***********************

"I _can't_!"

Ryo looked up at me with a sigh and a faint grin."You _can_.If you'd just stop being so negative…"

"I am _not_ being negative!I'm being…uh…"

"Negative?"

"Shut up!"With a scowl, I plopped to the ground, dropping the katana at my side."It's just so hard.Can't I just use my bow?"

"No.You're going to learn at least three types of weaponry.We've been over this four times already.Don't argue with me again."

"I'm not arguing.I'm complaining in an unruly fashion."

"You're arguing."

Goldette made a groaning noise and rolled over onto her back, wiggling around in the pine needles.She'd been trying to scratch her back all morning and simply hadn't succeeded.I flopped onto my stomach and stretched out, reaching for the cougar.As I scratched her back, she closed her eyes in pleasure.I pulled myself over to the big cat and snuggled up against her.

"Did she just growl?" asked Ryo.

I looked sheepish."Eh, that was my stomach.I'm hungry."

Ryo threw his hands up in the air."Why me?" he said, teasing.He stood up, walked to the edge of the little clearing and pulled the bag that the food was in off a tree branch."Lunchtime, Goldette.See you in a while."

The mountain lion stretched and yawned—a very toothy yawn—and stalked off into the forest, presumably to catch her own meal.Ryo handed me one of the frozen water bottles, which by now were half-melted.He unwrapped two of the boiled eggs and started shelling them.

"Boiled eggs?"I looked at the eggs doubtfully.

"Yeah.They're a good traveling snack…as long as you eat them before the sun spoils 'em."He handed me an egg and the tiny saltshaker."Just sprinkle a little—a _little_—salt on the egg, and bite in.It's good, trust me."

I did as he said and was surprised to find that he was right.Ryo smiled at the look on my face and handed me another two eggs."Shell your own food," he said.

When we'd finished all the eggs, he brought out the container that held the little white beady things."Okay, whussat?" I mumbled around a mouthful of egg.

"It's called couscous.It's a Moroccan pasta.I like it; though some people don't.Wanna try some?"

"I dunno…"

Ryo shrugged and used a plastic spoon to shovel a mouthful of the…couscous…into his mouth.He made a show of looking like he was tasting heaven or something.

"Alright, haha.I'll try some already."

Once again, Ryo was correct."Mmm…dis is gwood."

He laughed."Don't talk with your mouth full."

"Thorry."

After we'd finished off the couscous and I'd gulped down most of my water, Ryo stood up."Back to work, kiddo.Get that bag there."

I grabbed the old cloth bag and peeked inside."What are these?"

"They're arrows, silly."

"I know that!" I said, rolling my eyes."But why couldn't I have just used my own?"

Ryo grinned."Those are Rowen's."

I froze."Dad's?"

"Yep."

I blinked.I slowly drew one of the wooden shafts out of the bag.It was perfectly balanced, and as I peered along the shaft, I discovered it was perfectly straight too.The head was a simple grey stone, sharpened to a lethal edge.The flight-stabilizers—tail feathers—were carefully aligned, pure white.What really caught my eye was the delicately inscribed figure of a kanji on the midpoint of the shaft, carved _very_ lightly so it wouldn't disturb the arrow's balance and darkened with a dark orange coloring.I've always wanted to learn Japanese and to read kanji, but I'm afraid my knowledge only went as far as the Ronin symbols.

"Justice?" I asked, looking to Ryo.

He nodded."Look at the others."

There had to be at least fifty of the beautiful things in the bag; I took seven more in my hand.Each kanji was darkened with its corresponding color."Wisdom, Virtue, Trust…Life… But what are these?"

"Loyalty, Endurance, Piety, Obedience," said Ryo."Those are the Warlords' kanjis.Rowen made these arrows himself, a few months after the last battle.He spent two months just assembling them.Sage and I helped him carve the kanjis, with his instruction of course.He would've killed us if we messed one up."

"What'd he make them for?"

"To use, duh." Ryo laughed at my scowl."Okay, he made them to use for practice and whatever else.He couldn't very well use Tenku's, could he?"He took one of the arrows from my hand."Rowen loved these things.He kept one by his bed at all times.And watching him send them flying…it was something else, Les."

I traced the Life kanji, deep dark blue, and closed my eyes.I could almost feel Dad touching the arrow, setting it along his bow…

_Let it fly…_

"But why were they at your place?" I asked.

Ryo pulled me to my feet and handed me my bow."Your mother didn't like the idea of deadly weapons being easily within your reach and your dad couldn't have them in the same house with him without wanting to have at least one nearby.He couldn't resist the 'itch'.So he had a friend keep them when you were only four months old.And when you moved here, he gave them to me.He came up here to practice with them when he could, you know."

"But I remember…" I trailed off, recalling the tension of a bowstring under my fingers, the sound of a flying arrow's song as it rushed to strike…

Ryo looked confused."What do you remember?"

"I remember these arrows.I remember using them."

Ryo's eyes widened."No, you never touched them before today.And you couldn't remember seeing them.You were just a baby."

"Really, I do."I fingered the feathers on one of the arrows.

He shook his head."I don't get it… We'll have to talk to the guys about it.Maybe you're remembering through Tenku.Rowen's memories."

I sighed."Maybe."

"Alright, enough chit-chat.Time to get back to business.You can practice with those on your own for a while.I'm gonna take a nap."

"What?That's not fair!"

"Shush, young grasshopper.The master has spoken," he said in a silly accent, chuckling.Ryo stretched out on the ground and closed his eyes.

I shrugged and placed the butt of an arrow against my bowstring.A mere millisecond later, the projectile was lodged in my chosen target, a tree limb at least two hundred yards away.I was shocked.Since when could I fire that fast?

"Ryo—"

"The yoroi enhance abilities that are involved in their use," he told me, not even opening his eyes."For example, Cye can stay underwater for an impossible length of time even without Suiko on."

"Oh."

"Now, let me sleep."

I scowled at him but turned back to my practice.On a whim, I pulled the entire quiver out of the bag and slung it over my shoulder.It felt perfectly natural, it felt _right_.Glaring through the thick foliage of the trees at the arrow I'd already fired, I decided to try something.I took a deep breath and narrowed my eyes, then lifted my hand.

_Thwapthwapthwapthwapthwapthwapthwapthwapthwap._

Another nine arrows now were stuck in the tree, perfectly aligned vertically with the first arrow.I beamed, delighted with myself.

Ryo opened one eye blearily and noted all of this."Yeah, well, now you gotta go get 'em, hotshot."

I glared at him, but he'd already closed his eye again.Grumbling to myself, I started walking towards the tree.When I got there, I set my quiver and bow on the ground and started to shimmy up the tree and carefully plucked the arrows from the bark.Then I jumped to the ground and after checking each arrow's line, I placed them back in the quiver.As I stood up, I heard a cry of alarm come from the clearing where I'd left Ryo.I whirled in that direction, and called out my uncle's name as I ran to see what was wrong.

I never even felt the blow when it came.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR:

Okay, I know I cut it off at an odd time, but this chapter was getting a bit long. And I know I left you hanging for quite some time, didn't I? Sorry 'bout that; life got to be a bit more than I could handle for a while. Promise to have more up soon. Really!

Thanks to those of you who've reviewed so far! To tell the truth, for a little while I was considering discontinuing this story. Btw, _A Fiery Rain_ is **not** a self-insertion. I merely write in first person from Lessa's p.o.v. at times; although, I do admit that many of her experiences were derived from my own. Anyway, sorry if that was confusing to anyone…


	5. Good Morning

Morning

Morning

*************

_It's for your own good._

_Scratch._

_Do you remember…_

_I remember an edge, the sky…_

_Scratch._

_…I know what you're thinking…_

_Scratch._

_Don't you ever do that again!_

_I didn't know._

_Scratch._

_Scratch._

_I shouldn't have told you._

_Scratch._

_We shouldn't have come here…_

_…I know everything…_

_She won't last the night.I've won and you know it!_

_There will be others…_

_Scratch._

_Let go of me!I'll use it…_

_No!Don't do it!_

_Promise to remember…_

_…I promise…_

_Scratch._

_Scratch._

_Scratchscratchscratchscratchscratch…_

***********************

I felt soft warmth all around me.At first, I was reluctant to leave this haven, but all things end…including the ones you like best.

Like sleeping.

I forced myself to open my eyes.Above me was the constellation Orion.On my ceiling, not in the sky.Glow in the dark dots, glued in formations across the white paint.I turned over.My pillow fell to the floor and I stumbled away from my covers after it.I waited for the feeling of the carpet to reach my nerves, deep and comfortable.When it did, I turned around and faced the window.

All the usual scenery that greeted me was there, as usual.The sunlight hinted at the time, somewhere around noon it seemed.I didn't bother smiling at it, it was just scenery.And sleep surpassed its beauty by far…

I went to the bathroom, picked up my hairbrush, and blinked at the person in the mirror."Morning, you," I said."Not necessarily a good one, though…" I began to brush my long black hair."Course, it isn't necessarily morning, either…eh…'afternoon, you', then…" Done, I dropped the hairbrush on the counter and turned from the mirror.

And flew off my feet.

…

"…owwwwwwwww."

Sitting up and rubbing my head, I glared at the puddle of shampoo on the floor."How the freakin' netherhells did _that_ get there?!"

I ended up wiping the shampoo up with a wad of toilet paper.Then I went to get dressed.Faded jeans with worn holes ripped in the knees, a plain white t-shirt so worn you could almost—not quite!—see through it, a plaid long-sleeve button-up that I didn't button, and a pair of beaten-to-death tennis shoes, no socks.Finally, as I left the room, I grabbed a hair scrunchie off the doorknob and yanked my hair back in a base-of-the-neck ponytail.

I managed to get to the kitchen without losing myself…okay, so I ran into the couch once…

I made myself a sandwich.It was pretty much the only thing I could safely make without giving myself food poisoning or blowing something to the Nether Realm and back.Of course, my sandwiches are strange.Nearly anything can end up in them: chicken, spinach, rice, cereal, garlic, okra, whatever.My favorite is steak, melted Swiss cheese, a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and cinnamon.

I ate this alone at the kitchen table.

Three hours later, as I screamed curses and blessings at a soccer game on TV, a hand ruffled my hair.I looked up and grinned.

"Morning, baby," said Dad.


	6. Family Getaway

Family Getaway

Family Getaway

*************

"Why right now?" I asked.

"Well…your father is an idiot and doesn't seem to realize that even geniuses need to take a vacation now and then.And my boss agreed that I've worked long enough to cash in a couple weeks.Don't you want to go?"Mom raised her eyebrows at me with a grin.

"Of course I want to go!" I laughed."I just didn't get why you wanted to do this so out of the blue.So, when are we leaving?"

"Today, if possible," said Dad.

"I need to go pack then, huh?"

Mom shook her head."No.I've already got a bag packed for you."

"Oh."I sat down again."Well…how long till we leave?"

"A few hours," said Dad."I have a program to finish and your mom has to make some phone calls."

"To make sure no one screws up the meeting day after tomorrow," she clarified.

"Ah."I fidgeted."Can I ride my bike down to the farm, then?"

"Sure," said Dad, Mom nodding in agreement.Then they both looked at each other, but they were smiling.

" 'Kay, I'll be back in an hour."With that, I walked out the back door and grabbed my bicycle from where it leaned against a tree, mounted it, and took off down the dirt path.

The "farm" is a place about a mile away from my house.It belongs to an elderly woman and her son, who train horses there.They have a huge old barn and it's full of cats and a couple dogs.There's even a ferret living in there, although the cats despise it.Sometimes I would go visit the Houstons—that was their name—and maybe even help out with stuff.Ms. Houston's husband died seven years back and her son Robert moved in to keep up the work.

As I came out of the trees and into the cleared area that was the farm, I had to get off my bike and toss it over a fence, clambering after it myself.From there, it was a downhill ride to the leveled space where the buildings and a few of the corrals were placed.Robert waved at me as I came speeding down on the bicycle.

For the next 15 minutes I helped exercise a new filly that had been delivered that morning.Ms. Houston demanded that I let her feed me, so I stuffed myself with her wonderful cornbread and a plate of grilled ribs.Then I hung out at the barn.One of the cats had had a new litter of kittens and four of the five were calicos.Robert said I could name two of them, but the rest were going to be given to a farm up the mountain.I named one female calico Sunny and the one black male kitten Obsidian, which quickly evolved into Sid.

Finally, I decided I'd better be getting home.I'd said I'd be gone only an hour, and time was running out.

Ms. Houston, however, wasn't done with me.She looked at me with sad brown eyes as she said, "Would you like to take one of those babies with you, hon?"

I wondered what it was that had upset her.She was such a cheerful person, and the reason for her eyes to be so sorrowful was beyond me."I'd love one, ma'am.But I don't think Mom would like it.Clean freak, remember?"

This seemed to make her even sadder for some reason.I shifted indecisively in the farmyard, confused and uncertain.Robert came to my rescue.

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind you having a little piece of happiness for yourself," he said.

That made sense."You're probably right…can I have Sid then?"

"Of course," said Ms. Houston.She gave a cheery smile, but her eyes were still sad.

Robert gave me an old leather book bag to carry Sid in.Ms. Houston stuffed it with a flannel shirt that had been ripped up past repair and I settled the sleepy kitten into it, hanging the bag's strap around my neck.With a last wave to the Houstons, I walked up the hill, walking my bike beside me.Getting over the fence was a little more difficult than before, what with my new package, but I managed, and it was less than five minutes before I was leaning the bike against the wall again at home.

I checked the book bag before I walked inside.Sid was curled amongst the flannel folds, and he blinked blue eyes up at me blearily before yawning and settling back to sleep.I couldn't help loving him.

***********************

Mom was okay with the kitten.That surprised me.She'd said once that she thought cats and dogs were intent on making everything a mess and she didn't want one in her nice house.She'd been smiling when she said it, but she was serious.What was up with the sudden rule slackening?Ah, who cared…

Dad and Mom were doing something in another room, arguing a little but no more than usual.I sat on the couch, Sid curled sleeping on my lap, and watched Cartoon Network's _Toonami_ block.Gundum Wing was on, which I currently counted as a "good enough to love" anime…God, was I _bored_.Mom had said we wouldn't be leaving for at least another two hours.

"Hey, Dad!" I called.

"Yeah?"

"Since there's nothing for me to do and we're gonna be here for a while, ya think I could have Ben over till we leave?"

Where usually, I would've received an instant reply, I heard silence.Then, my parents started to talk in low voices, seemingly discussing this.What the freak was going on in this house these days?

"No!" Mom finally responded.

"Huh?" I was, quite simply, bewildered."Why not?"

"Because I said so, young lady!"

"…Dad?"

"No, kiddo.Sorry."

"Mmm, 'kayyyyy…" I shrugged at Sid, who gave me a sleepy feline grin."I hope you're not gonna do this _all_ the time," I told him.

As if to mock this, he yawned exaggeratedly.I couldn't help quoting something Ryo said like a philosophy: "Sometimes, I wonder if cats are really a superior race in disguise, analyzing us to decide whether we're worth it or not."

***********************

Time had crawled by, most of which I spent eating and watching TV.I would've gone outside and done something but it had started raining.Our bags were by the door, waiting to be carried out.Dad was getting a raincoat before he started moving the luggage, and Mom had asked me to get her a cup of hot tea, which was simple enough that I didn't screw it up too often.Mom always had a pitcher of tea in the fridge, so all I had to do was put it in a cup and heat it up with the microwave.

Standing in the kitchen, with Sid lying limply around my neck, his legs, head, and tail dangling over my shoulders, I found myself humming a tune._Strange, it sounds familiar…what is it?_I couldn't remember.The microwave timer beeped in signal that it was done.I checked to see how hot the tea was and decided to nuke it for 30 seconds more.

I sighed and my gaze wandered around the kitchen as I waited.My glance happened upon the kitchen phone.Wouldn't hurt to call Ben before I left, would it?I picked it up and dialed the number I knew by heart.

_Riiiiiiiiiing…Riiiiiiiiiing…Click._

"Hello?"

"Hi, Ben."

"Les?"

"Yeah.You sound surprised to hear from me."

"That's because I am!Where are you?"

"Whadda ya mean?"I laughed."I'm right where I'm supposed to be.Look, I'm gonna have to leave you for a while.Might bug you a bit later some way or other, so be prepared for something," I said, thinking about post cards and stuff like that."Don't really know where I'm going, of course… Eh, anyway, I—"

"Lessa, I'm serious.Where are you?"

I snorted.Ben was being so wacky today."I already told you."The microwave had been beeping for quite a time now, so I figured I better take Mom her tea."Gotta go, Ben.I'll be seeing you." I hardly gave him time to say 'bye' himself before I hung up.

As I was taking the tea to Mom, I accidentally splashed some on myself._Hot!!!_

I jumped and shrieked.Sid skittered away across the carpet, frightened to death.Luckily, I didn't spill much more of the tea.But I'd succeeded in making a mess.

"Maaaaan, I can't do anything cooking-oriented without screwing up!"

Dad trotted into the hallway from the door, his raincoat on."What happened?"

"Split the tea," I grumbled.

He raised his eyebrows at me."Really?With what?I wasn't aware you could do such a thing."

I thought about what I'd said and then groaned."Spilt.I _spilt_ the tea."

"So I noticed.Well…we don't have time to clean it up.C'mon, time to go."

I stood there, dumbfounded."Ehhhh?"

"We're leaving now," he said slowly, as if I were a two-year-old."Come on."He turned and grabbed a bag of luggage as he walked out the front door.I threw my hands in the air, surrendering to whoever was in charge of the universe's sanity.I turned around and started calling, "Here, kitty-kitty-kitty!"

Sid turned out to be sitting atop one of Mom's sound system speakers, trying to clean the tea out of his fur.He yawned at me as I put him in the book bag, and settled down to nap again.Silly baby.I hurried to the half-open door and carefully locked it behind me.Mom was waiting in the suburban, Dad in the passenger seat beside her.Both of them waved impatiently at me.

The rain was cold, the kind that made your bones ache after being exposed to it for a while.I nearly stumbled over my own feet in my rush to get out of it.Jumping in the car and slamming the door shut quickly, I sighed with relief."So…where we going?"

"I told you, babe, it's a surprise," said Dad.

"Hey, why don't you get some rest?" Mom suggested, glancing at me in the rearview mirror.

I smiled."Nah, not sleepy."

"Suit yourself," she said and grinned back.

But it was only five minutes before I found myself yawning.Sid had crawled out of his book bag and was licking at the tea on his rump again, annoyed.I lay sideways on the seat—quite a feat for someone wearing a seat belt, as I'm sure several people know—and my kitten adjusted himself to lay cuddled between in the hollow between my hip and torso, purring his little head off.

I really wanted to stay awake…

Yeah, well, didn't someone once say we can't always have what we want?

***********************

_It's for your own good._

_Do you remember…_

_I remember an edge, the sky…_

_…I know what you're thinking…_

_Don't you ever do that again!_

_I'm not worth it…_

_I didn't know._

_I shouldn't have told you._

_We shouldn't have come here…_

_I know everything about everything around here._

_She won't last the night.I've won and you know it!_

_Sometimes, I think of things that hurt…_

_There will be others…_

_Let go of me!I'll use it…_

_No!Don't do it!_

_Promise to remember…_

_…I promise…_

***********************

Have you ever had one of those strange mornings when everything is beautifully—impossibly!—perfect?

When I woke, that was how things were.Soft sheets around me and a plump pillow pressed to my cheek.I refused to open my eyes yet, fearing that this dream would seep away into the cracks of reality.A sweet scent drifted past my nose, alien and intoxicating.I breathed it in deeply, sighing on the exhale.I felt warmth, like a sun through a window, brazenly caressing my cheek, giving a welcome heat to my skin.The air was crisp, as if it had just recently shrugged off the kind of cold that stone walls and floors give, and very fresh, yet at the same time it was touched with the sweetly musky scent of old rooms…

_God forbid I ever wake up!_ I thought happily, slipping back into this welcome impossibility with another sleepy sigh.

So, of course, a moment later I was wide-awake.

A hiss admonished my sudden movement and pinprick jabs of pain introduced themselves to my bare throat. Obsidian moved liquidly down my chest and re-solidified in my lap as I sat up.I scowled at him, rubbing my throat."Little brat," I whined."That hurt."

He yawned for what had to be the billionth time since we'd met.I couldn't stifle my grin.Yawning myself, I peered about at my surroundings."Huh.We must be there…I mean, here…"

I was in the room I had envisioned from the hints given by my senses as I awoke.Stone walls and floors, a big beautiful bed of the kind fairy tale kings sleep in, a fireplace with a half-gone fire smoldering in its recesses, and a window near the bed that I could have stood in easily, with room to spare.There were curtains drawn back at the window, and I wondered how there could be no pane in it and no air drafting through it.

I threw back the covers, ignoring the half-awake protest of the kitten, and stepped out of the bed.My shoes and socks sat by the door of the room, which was a massive wooden masterpiece.I still had on my worn white t-shirt and the broken-kneed jeans, but the plaid flannel shirt was draped across the footboard of the bed.Sid's book-bag hung from one of the four bedposts.There was my Broncos duffel bag on the floor at the end of the bed too.Rubbing my nose absently, I wandered over to the window, passing a bowl with full of smoldering emerald green ash, which seemed to be giving off the sweet scent I'd smelled earlier.

I was shocked at the scenery beyond the open window.Rolling blue-green hills covered in lush long-bladed grass that moved in a lovely way under the kisses of a breeze.Splendid old oaks stood here and there beneath the midday sun, creating puddles of shade that to me—a frequent lie-under-a-tree-and-daydreamer—looked positively luscious.I turned my attention to the curtains on the window.They seemed to have patterns woven into them.I pulled the sashes holding them back and they swung together.The room didn't get any darker, but I couldn't see where the light was coming from.

The curtains turned out to have a scene woven into them, like a two-piece tapestry.To my surprise, the scene was the exact one I had been looking at through the window a moment before.The only difference was a young man lying beneath one of the trees, hands behind his head as he gazed up at the sky.I could almost see the moisture on his lips.The skill, the time, it must've taken to create that masterpiece… "Wow," I breathed.

Sid was wrapping himself around my ankles and I nearly tripped over his little body.He cried up at me with a distinctively hungry voice.At the thought of just the word 'hungry', my own stomach set up its own complaint.I made a face and picked up Obsidian.He promptly climbed to my shoulder."Okay, baby, I'm gonna change clothes and then we'll go see about food."

Sid didn't understand this of course, so he cried again.My stomach also reissued its own cry.I laughed and began to pull clothing out of my duffel bag.

***********************

I must have wandered down those damn halls for hours!

I'd left my room and discovered that there was only one other door in the hall, across from mine.I assumed it must be my parents' room and I decided against checking to see if they were awake, because, if they weren't, they'd probably be displeased with me bothering them.So, being the idiot I sometimes prove to be, I wandered off down the hall, trying to figure out where food might be.Of course, it didn't take long for me to get totally, utterly lost.

"Ohhhhhh, maaaaaaan!" I moaned as I found myself facing yet another dead-end.I'd encountered several of these over the past hour or so.My stomach and my kitten were quite unhappy with the delay.Sid was no longer his sleepy self, stalking agitatedly around me, looking around turns and sniffing with disdain at corners.

I sighed and backtracked down that corridor, and turned off it first chance I got, not really caring if I'd already been this way or not.Sid was being a bit slow keeping up so I called to him over my shoulder as I rounded the turn.

Wham! 

I looked up at the stone ceiling and blinked._Heh.So now I'm running into things, too…_

Slowly, I rose to a sitting position.I gaped.

I hadn't run into a _thing_; I'd run into a person.She sat up just as slowly as me, but with a weary sigh.She looked to be about twenty years old, dark blue-violet hair and eyes, and wearing the most bizarre clothing… I blinked and jumped to my feet."I'm sooooo sorry!" I babbled, offering her my hand to help her up.She took it and stood up and seemed to really look at me for the first time.

She gasped and turned, running away."Hey!" I called."What's wrong?"But she ignored me and soon vanished around a corner.I started to follow, but Sid came scampering around the corner then, crying anxiously.I sighed and stopped to scoop him up."You're starting to become a liability, sweetheart," I told him but smiled.How could I not?Kittens seem to have a way of making permanent burrows into your heart.Well, at least in mine.

Nearly twenty minutes later, I decided that I'd had enough.I sat down in (yes, _in_) a window and watched the clouds go by.I was on the third story of what I now realized had to be a humongous, complex building.And judging by the number of stairs I'd descended and climbed that day, it had to have at least a couple underground levels.From the inside, one would assume the place was a castle, like the ones from the Arthurian myths.But, looking down, I saw what looked to me like an ancient Japanese-style palace.Curious to see what the upper parts of the building looked like, I started to lean out the window backwards.Sid disapproved and leapt down to the corridor floor inside.

"…wow…" I tried to find a better grip on the windowsill so I could lean back farther and see more.And lost my grip altogether.

Falling out that window, I didn't have time even to think, to scream, nothing.It seemed that everything went very slowly, though.I was looking at sky, then horizon, then the ground below.But my descent stopped there.

My heart was pounding in my chest as I cautiously looked up.There was a hand firmly gripping my ankle.My sock was bunched up around my toes and my shoe was gone.Looking down again I saw the shoe on the ground far below, so small I hardly recognized it.I looked up at the hand again.I 'eep'ed.

"Hold on," said a deep, male voice."I've got you.Brace your hands against the wall so you don't scrape it."

I did as I was told and he started pulling me up.When my waist was at the windowsill, he wrapped his arms around it and lifted me inside.The moment he put me on my feet, I sat down.Blood had rushed to my head while I was upside down, and I was rather dizzy.So far down…what had I been thinking?!

"Thanks," I said to my rescuer.

He grinned and crouched in front of me."No problem.You okay?"

"Oh, yeah, just dandy."I looked at my shoeless foot.Sid came up and crawled into my lap, ready for a nap."Um, I'm Lessa."

"My name's Eky.You know, what you did was pretty stupid.If I hadn't been walking by just now…" He let the statement hang.

"I know…" I made a face."I do stuff like that sometimes.Stupid, I mean."I took a better look at him now.He had green hair!And his eyes were definitely different, though I couldn't quite put my finger on why.Tall, looked strong, his grin was kinda wacky, in a sort of cute way.

My stomach growled.Eky laughed and helped me to my feet."I'm on my way to the kitchen.I could make you an afternoon snack."

"Afternoon?It's that late?"

"Actually, it'll be time to serve supper in two hours, but the sun makes it seem like it's still afternoon."

"I've been wondering around in these halls since around noon!" I draped Sid absently around my neck, already used to the sleepy kitten's almost constant presence there.

He laughed wryly."Yes, well, I guess if you didn't know your way around here, it would be easy to get lost."

"I think lost is an understatement.Anyway, lead on."I followed him to the kitchen, which turned out to look exactly like what I imagined an Arthurian-myth-period castle kitchen to look like and there were about a dozen people scuttling about as they prepared what I supposed must be supper.Apparently, Eky was an apprentice in the kitchen, so he got right to work.

Between stirring stew and chopping what looked like radishes—except they were black—Eky got me what seemed suspiciously like a club sandwich.Not exactly the kind of food one would expect to eat in a castle, but I hear you're not supposed to look a gift horse in the mouth.I liked that sandwich…

I hung out in the kitchen, snatching bits of conversation with Eky when I could; I wasn't allowed to help with the cooking.An hour had to have passed before Mom appeared in the doorway."Lessa!" she called to me."Come here."

"See ya later, Ek," I said over my shoulder to the man as I hurried to the door, getting one of those wacky grins and a wave in return.Mom seemed a little impatient, hurrying me down the hall the moment I got to her."Hey, Mom, what's up?" I asked.

"I'd like you to meet some people, hon," she replied.We went down another hall, turned right, and finally she opened a door.She guided me inside and pushed me in front of her, her hands resting on my shoulders as if she were presenting me to someone.Which, it turned out, she was.

The two men were both about the same age as Eky, tall, muscular…different…

Mom left a while later.Ulner and Zwiff were to be in charge of me until I went to bed.Supper was brought in on a cart by a harried servant, who left again immediately.Ulner seemed like a nice guy, smiled often.Zwiff, however, was a moody type, dark, solemn.Ulner's long, whitish, semi-curly locks contrasted sharply with Zwiff's dark, wild blue hair.Ulner had an eye patch and Zwiff had a scar over one eye and both men seemed like my dad, like they knew how to fight a battle.

As we spent time together that evening, I learned that the guys were going to be training me.Why?I asked the same question.

"Uh, well, you're probably gonna get a yoroi soon," Ulner said bluntly.

"Huh?Whadda ya mean 'a yoroi'?"

Zwiff sighed."Your father and we expect that you'll receive a new yoroi soon.We thought it wise to train you now, not wait."

"A new yoroi?" I was skeptical."There isn't any other yoroi.There's only the one's Dad and my uncles have and a few others that are taken too.There can't be _new_ ones."

"Trust me, kid," said Zwiff."You aren't getting any of those.You're getting a new one.Don't ask questions."

Ulner glared at him, as if to scold him for being so sharp.

I sighed."I thought I was taking a vacation, not getting a yoroi."

This earned a sheepish laugh from Ulner."Actually, that was a lie.Y'see, we kinda had to get you outta there fast, without you freaking out too much and all and your parents thought that would be the best idea, a vacation."

Now Zwiff was glaring at him."Shut up.Let D'torei explain all that to her."

"All what?"

Both men ignored my inquiry."I guess you're right.Maybe we should send her down to him now."

Zwiff nodded in agreement.

"Hey!I'm still here," I informed them, indignant.

Ulner stood up."Come on.Time to go meet D'torei."

"Who?What?Where?"I shifted Sid to a more comfortable position on my shoulders as I followed him out of the room.Behind us, Zwiff sighed as if relieved that I was leaving.

Ulner just smiled mysteriously and led me through the maze that was the caste/palace halls.We ended up outside the castle, in the inner courtyard.The place seemed more like a hothouse jungle to me than a courtyard.We followed a footpath deep into the forage until Ulner stopped before a small shrine-like building."This is D'torei's place.He'll explain everything to you.I'll be back to pick you up later, okay?Don't go anywhere by yourself; you'll get lost again."

"Oh, alright!" I threw up my hands in surrender."Why everyone has to talk circles around me and be all mysterious and everything is completely beyond me but…oh, it's not worth the effort."Ulner was already disappearing down the footpath.I walked inside the shrine.

A man wearing a simple blue and red kimono sat on a mat inside the shrine.His long, smooth red hair hung loosely about him, and his smile was gentle.Kinda handsome fellow, like Ulner and Zwiff except without the scars, same age too at my estimation.He gestured to me to sit with him.

"Ummm, hi, I'm Lessa.You must be D'torei."I smiled and moved Sid to my lap as I sat, rather uncomfortable, on a mat.

He nodded.

"And you're supposed to explain all this mess to me…?"

He nodded again."Sorry if it's a bit of a long story," he said, "but here's how it is…"


	7. A Mother's Love

First passage will be entirely dialogue between D'torei and Lessa

First passage will be entirely dialogue between D'torei and Lessa.Sorry if that's annoying.Blah.Thanks to the couple of peeps who reviewed recently. Yes, I will explain the Lessa-suddenly-remembers-nothing situation; if not in this chap., then hopefully, the next… Shouldn't take many more chap.s to finish actually.

A Mother's Love

*************

"About three years ago, a shadow befell the Ronin Warriors.We don't know much about it, but for some reason, they changed.Somehow, they developed a hunger for power.We don't even understand their motives but I'm afraid they decided that they want to conquer this realm, the Nether Realm.We can't let that happen.We aren't accusing them of being evil, just confused.They may not even know what they're doing.And we know this thing that has them so messed up didn't get all of them."

"So it didn't get my dad?"

"No.Nor Rekka.But their refusal to help the other three seems to have made the turned Ronins think it necessary to do away with Tenku and Rekka."

"What?!"

"Don't worry.Your father is safe here and though Rekka was injured, we have him safely hidden away until he can recover."

"Who's "we"?"

"Oh.Well, "we" would be myself, Ulner, Zwiff, and our master."

"Master?"

"The one whom we are loyal to, who we work for."

"Oh.What does all this have to do with me?"

"I'm getting to that.It's going to become necessary to fight the turned Ronins, no matter how hard we try to avoid it.Tenku and Rekka can't do it due to the connection between the yoroi.If one Ronin were to harm another seriously, they will all feel the pain, including your father and Rekka.We don't want him injured further.The turned ones also plan to use their families somehow, and though we aren't sure in what way, we're certain it's not good.We're hoping that when you get your yoroi, which isn't connected to the others, you'll be able to help us save the Ronins' families."

"What?"

"But there's a possibility you'll have to fight Suiko or Korin or Kongo or maybe all of them.We know you don't want to hurt them or for them to know that it was you.You probably wouldn't want their families to think you would hurt their loved ones either.So, Ulner will help you to disguise yourself when you go on missions and Zwiff will use the few spells he's learned these past weeks to help make the task easier."

"Waitasec!I never agreed to this."

"No…but I'm sure you will.Tenku tells us that you're very good friends with Kongo's boy."

"Yeah.So?"

"We believe that Kongo's family will be the first one they use for this mysterious plan of theirs.I think there will be blood involved."

"What?!No.You're wrong.Kento would never hurt Judah or Ben or Lily or Tess or Rinfi.How would _you_ know anyway?"

"When I meditate, I catch hints sometimes.The blood was the hint I caught today."

"Ahhhh, man, this is all so weird."

"Lessa, are you going to help us?"

"…you're sure that they would be hurt if I didn't?"

"Positive."

"…okay… What would I have to do?"

"I have the yoroi.It's called Black.Here."

"…it's so cold.And what's the kanji in there?"

"I don't really know.I've never been able to see it through the black enough to tell.Here, take this ring."

"What for?"

"It's from the master.It will help you teleport from here to your realm and back, but don't do it any more than absolutely necessary or you'll get lost."

"Okay.And when do I go get Ben and the others?"

"In four days.Until then, you'll need to train with Ulner and Zwiff.Your parents won't be around much."

"Why?"

"We have to put Tenku into hiding with Rekka so that the other Ronins won't be able to track them through the yoroi.Your mother wants to go with him."

"…oh.Can I go now?"

"Yes.But come back every day after the evening meal so that we can discuss things, and plan if necessary."

"Okay.Bye then."

"Until tomorrow, bearer of Black."

"…Yeah…tomorrow…"

***********************

Ben slammed the phone down in its cradle so hard that Lily, who prided herself on not reacting to loud noises or surprises, winced.The white-haired girl looked at her older brother through narrowed eyes."What's wrong with _you_?"

The young man dropped into a chair with a defeated and irritated look."Just called the last person I could think of who might know where Lessa is."

"And?"

"Nothing."

"Ah.So who was this person?"

Ben slouched over the table, twining a fork through the spaghetti he and Lily had made themselves for lunch."Ray Kinyard, some guy she met at the zoo."

"Have you tried with people who know Ryo?" Lily shoved a forkful of the pasta into her mouth with one hand and toyed with a strand of her hair with the other.

"No.Dad and Cye and Sage are doing that."He sighed."How could this happen?"

"How could her parents die?How could she inherit Tenku?How could she be Ryo's favorite?How could the sky be blue?How could you be my brother?"

"Ha, ha.And don't talk with your mouth full."

She rolled her eyes and swallowed."Don't ask stupid questions and ya won't get stupid answers."

"Point taken.But still…she called me, Lil.Of all the people to call, she called _me_.And she's my best friend.I don't want to lose her."

Now it was Lily's turn to sigh."Look, bro.Les is a tough girl.And she's probably got Uncle Ry with her to help and all that.You aren't gonna lose her.Sage and Cye are almost certain they can track her and Ryo through the yoroi.Course, we have yet to see results of that theory but…what I'm saying is that you don't need to worry yourself sick over it.I'm sure she'll be back before ya know it.Hey, idea!"

"Oh really?" he drawled sarcastically, stretching his arms across the table and playing with his fork.

Lily grabbed the fork away."Shut up.Anyway, what exactly did she say to you on the phone?"

Ben thought about it for a moment."I need paper."He stood up and went to get some.When he came back, he sat down, shoved his spaghetti out of the way, and started writing words down.Lily leaned over the table, trying to see what he wrote past his scribbling hand.After a while, he sat back and read it aloud."I'm right where I'm supposed to be.I'm gonna have to leave you for a while…Might bug you later somehow so be ready for something.Don't know where I'm going… And that's it."He looked up with an expression somewhere between hopeful and lost.

Lily made a cute face—_Oops, she'd kill me if she heard that._—and then her jaw dropped."I can't believe it—I just…oh gaaaaahhhhhd!"

"What?" Ben had to hold himself back from jumping on her.

"You people," she laughed, gasping, "are soooo stupid.How could you not think of that?"

"Dammit, Lily, if you don't tell me right now…" He blinked."Oh, I didn't mean that!I mean—"

"Oh, please.Rusty told me that you cussed at Lessa when she wouldn't eat.Don't play innocent with me."

"Fine.But you better tell me…"

"She said she was right where she's supposed to be, didn't she?"

"Yeah.So?"

"Ben!Since forever, where does Lessa always end up going when things blow up in her face?"

"…I don't know."

The fifteen-year-old groaned."Okay, remember when you were in tenth grade and her boyfriend dumped her for that Cheerleader From Hell?And she was so mad she skipped school?"

"Yeah.Even though she'd been planning on dumping him the next day.Still, I thought she might bust his car with the tire iron."

"And where did she go when she skipped school?"

"…oh my god!Why didn't I realize this before?She—ah, jeez…"

"So," chirped his sister merrily."Do you feel stupid now?"

"God, yes.How could I have missed this?…I gotta call Dad!"

While her brother ran at breakneck speed for the phone, Lily leaned back in her chair, nodding smugly to herself."Yep," she said, crossing her arms behind her head."I am a genius."

Across the room, with the phone pressed to his ear, Ben didn't even bother to greet his father when Kento picked up."She meant she was at _home_, Dad!'Right where she was supposed to be'."

***********************

Kento smacked himself on the forehead so hard he nearly stumbled.Cye looked at him in bafflement and then shook his head, turning away from the man on the phone.Sage simply raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

The bearer of Kongo waited till he'd hung up the phone before answering the unspoken question."Ben just figured out where Lessa was when she called.Well, er, actually Lily did but, still they figured it out and they thought they'd call me and tell me and—"

"Kento!" interrupted Cye, exasperated with his friend's babbling."Where was she?"

"Home!"

No sooner had the word left his lips than he and the other two men were rushing for the door.As they went through the living/front room, grabbing coats from the rack by the door, they passed Rusty on the couch.Sage's son jumped to his feet, anxiety written in his features."What's wrong?"

"Nothing that we know of," said his father."Just figured out where Lessa called from."

"I'm going with you."

"No, you're not.You're staying here with your mother."

"What?!Why?"

Cye, struggling with a twisted sleeve, said, "The marks in that meadow gave evidence of Ryo putting up a struggle.Lessa hit the ground hard enough to leave an obvious mark where she fell and there were footprints behind her, like someone snuck up on her.That means someone out there is our enemy.If that someone were to come here, and your mother was alone…" He trailed off.

Rusty sighed."I get the idea." He sat back down."But if you find her or _anything_, could you please call?"

Sage smiled."Of course.We'll check in with you in an hour, okay?And help your mother with the laundry." He closed the door even as he finished that last sentence, leaving a futilely protesting teenager in his wake.The roar of an engine racing away down the road tore the air a mere second and a half later.

Maya called from the laundry room, "Rusty!I heard your father, so get in here, kiddo!"

Slumping his shoulders as all young men do when told to carry out an unwanted task, the copper-haired boy stood and trudged towards his mother's voice."Yes, ma'am," he grumbled, casting a glance back at the door as he went._Please be there, Les…_

***********************

Sori refused to come out of the bathroom."That's a freakin' _tiger_, Ky!You're insane!"

"It's not a tiger._She_'s a mountain lion, a cougar, a puma.And you're a coward."

"…am not!"

"Are too.Come out already!"

"…"

"Bro, don't make me use a coat hanger again!"

"Don't you dare unlock this door!" His voice sounded a little unnerved.

"Why not?" Kyri had, in fact, already gotten a coat hanger and was straightening the wire hook.

"Cuz…cuz…cuz I'm naked in here!"

She laughed. "So?I'm an artist, idiot.I've _sculpted_ naked people before.Seeing my twin brother in his birthday suit isn't going to traumatize me a great deal."She slipped the hanger wire into the door lock.

"I hate you!" the boy shouted.

"I love you," she replied dryly.

"Liar."

"Truth." She started jiggling the wire.

"…you're a cold-hearted bitch."

"Icy as subarctic winters."

"I hate you," he repeated, but sounded like he'd resigned himself to this unwelcome fate with a sigh.

"Yeah, yeah, brother dear." Kyri pulled the hanger out and opened the door.Her twin stood inside, wielding a toilet plunger like a weapon.She smirked at him."What're ya gonna do?Suction cup her to death?"

"Shut up!" Sori swung the plunger at her, forcing her to duck.

"God, you are such a baby." His sister turned and walked away, laughing.

"I am _not_!" he said forcefully.Before he could think too much about what he was doing, he stepped out of the bathroom.He had to force himself not to run right back in as a massive golden pillow on the floor down the hall turned into a stretching cougar."H-h-hello, Goldie," Sori greeted the feline, still holding his plunger before him."Don't eat me, okay?"

Kyri howled with laughter from a doorway, rolling on the floor and clutching her stomach at the sight of her plunger-wielding brother having a standoff with a sleepy mountain lion."Ohhhhhhhh gaaaaaaaahhhhhhhd…"

Sori spared her an angry glance, snapping his head back to keep his eyes on this Felidaeic threat.Goldette was at their house because she'd shown up at the Date house the day before, somehow conveying her wish for Sage, who'd known about her for a couple months, to come back to Ryo's with her.There, she'd led the Warrior to the meadow where Lessa and Ryo had been practicing.After he'd figured out that Ryo and Lessa were gone, and not of their own will, Sage had brought the big cat home with him.Maya, however, had company coming over that evening.Cye had volunteered his home as a place to keep Ryo's companion and here she was.Sori, already asleep that night when his father let the cougar in, had only become aware of her presence this afternoon—he liked to sleep in when given the chance—and he wasn't exactly thrilled about it.

Goldette yawned, stretched again, and padded past the eighteen-year-old without a care.He dropped the plunger in relieved shock."Okay, so she's not a _bad_ big kitty," he admitted.

Kyri just howled.

***********************

Tachiku threw the eggshells away and wiped her hands off on a dishtowel.As she beat the six yolks with a wire whisk, she listened with only half her attention to the noise her children were making upstairs.She knew Sori was trying to escape the cougar Cye had brought home the night before, but she also knew that Kyri had been a little nervous for a minute or two when she'd first discovered a mountain lion in the hallway.But then, her daughter had always been a little less meek than her son, had always enjoyed teasing her brother as much as he liked teasing his sister.Strange to think her little babies were going to college in a month.

Mixing two cups of flour, half a cup of milk, and the eggs in a large bowl, Cye's wife sighed and used a remote to change the channel on a small TV on a counter nearby.She'd decided to make a cake for lack of much else to do, and the TV was just mindless, electronic company.Cye was with the other remaining Ronins, trying to locate their missing friend and their orphaned niece.Just as she finished putting the cake in the oven, set the timer, and was starting to clean up the mess she'd made, the doorbell rang.

"I'LL GET IT!!!" hollered the twins' voices, followed by the pounding of their footsteps on the stairs, through the rec room, down the hall and to the front door.There was the usual brief squabble, ending in Kyri's loud shouts of protest as she was pushed aside and Sori opened the door.

Several seconds passed before Kyri screamed.Tachiku dropped the towel she was holding and sprinted toward the sound, horror rising in her throat.The terror in her daughter's voice… _Oh no, please, not my babies…_

The kitchen was on the east side of the house, the front door set a little more off center to the west, and in between was a sun room and a long hallway.Tachiku found the door from the sunroom into the hall closed and she could not get it open.There was no lock on that door!Why wouldn't it open?!

Beyond the door, she could hear Sori shouting in anger and fear but Kyri's voice no longer sounded.A loud thud and then Sori screaming, rage and pain.Tachiku rammed the door with her shoulder but to no avail.God, of all the times to be living in a big house.Turning, she ran back through the sunroom and the kitchen, into the room that had been set aside as Kyri's art studio, through the small area where the stairs were, through the rec room, the hall, to the foyer.She gasped and braked to a halt in the doorway.

Sori was backing towards her, his unconscious twin wrapped in the crook of his arm, his other hand waving a potted vase Kyri had made last month threateningly at a figure…

It was easily as tall as Sori, who was 5'11", wearing an armor that reminded Tachiku of her husband's yoroi, but it was blacker than any shade in Kyri's studio supplies.No, it reminded her more of Rekka than Suiko.The face guard hid its visage, and even the eyes were shadowed so deeply that she couldn't tell if there really even _was_ a face in there.There was no way to tell if this intruder was male or female and it held a gleaming black nunchuku in one hand.The armored figure walked steadily toward Sori, and Tachiku found herself thinking it seemed as mindless as the TV in the kitchen.

She stepped backwards as Sori nearly backed into her.Her hands flew to her face as she noticed the reddened marks on Kyri's throat, like someone had strangled her.That _monster_ in there had hurt her daughter!And Sori, there was blood on Sori's arm, though she couldn't tell where it had come from.Tachiku pulled on her son's arm, trying to tug him back into the hallway.Instead of going with her, he shoved Kyri into his mother's arms and turned back to the dangerous invader in the foyer.

"Mom, the back door," he whispered."Get Kyri out."

"Sori, honey—"

"Mom!Go!"

Tachiku turned and started back down the hall, dragging her daughter with her.She was a small woman and her children had long since grown to be taller than her, so the act required some effort.They had a mix of her blonde hair and Cye's auburn, their father's eyes and smile, her pert nose… Why was she thinking of such things right now?!She came to the rec room and paused incredulously.The door was closed.No, not again!It had been open when she'd come through before, hadn't it?She shoved at the door, twisting the handle vainly.It wouldn't open.

She could hear furious snarls from beyond the door, angry protests in animal voice.Goldette!The cougar must be on the other side, trying to get through to them, to help.Behind her, she heard Sori's shouts of rage and the shattering of the pottery against something.A yelp of pain, a clatter and a thud, then Sori shouting again, running down the hall towards her, yelling at her to get out.Black looming up behind him, reaching for him.Her own voice, screaming.

There was a crash as the door splintered to pieces and fell away.Goldette, the very picture of feline ferocity, charged through, bolting past the two women and slamming into the intruder.The black figure stumbled back and then swung a fist at the puma.She hit the wall, landed on the floor and came after the armored enemy again, roaring her objection.

Sori staggered across the rec room to his mother and sister, breathing hard."Mom, let's go," he gasped, jolting the woman out of her horrified trance.His hair was thoroughly mussed now, and the blood that had spattered across his arm, she could see, came from a cut on his brow at the hairline.Tachiku could see the fear, almost panic, in her boy's eyes, and she grabbed his arm firmly, pulling him with her.He slung one of Kyri's arms around his shoulders to help move her as they ran for the back door.Thankfully, they encountered no more closed doors.

Kyri's studio was a moderately large, sunny room with a screen porch added on to it.Sori swung his strangled sister up into his arms, Tachiku opening the porch door and holding it as the children passed through.The sounds of battle from the hall had moved to the door of the stairwell and the rec room now.Tachiku slammed the door shut and grabbed a chair to prop under the doorknob.Goldette would have to find her own way out if it was necessary.

Sori was already running into the woods that surrounded the back and east of the house, stumbling a little under the weight in his arms.Tachiku dashed after him, calling, "Wait!" And as he stumbled over a rock, "Be careful!Come on, hurry!" She caught up and grasped one of Kyri's arms to help again.

With a detonation of shattering glass and wood and ripping screen wire, the combatants exploded out of the house through the studio porch.Goldette smashed into the ground with a thud that made Sori and his mother wince.The attacker followed, stumbling a little, but regaining its footing just as swiftly as the cougar.But instead of recommencing the battle, Goldette bolted towards the Mouris.Braking harshly, she stood and looked at them, her huge eyes conveying her thoughts.

Tachiku knew her son was hesitating, still nervous about the mountain lion, so she took the initiative, seizing his arm and pushing him toward the gold-furred cat.He seemed to understand finally."Be careful with her," he ordered, voice more serious than it had ever been in his life of jokes and mock whining.He laid his sister's unconscious body across Goldette's back and the animal was off like a shot, quickly disappearing into the trees.His mother and he followed as best they could, aware that, behind them, the attacker was closing the distance.Goldette would come back as soon as she'd hidden Kyri.She'd come back; they just had to keep running…

Sori fell to the ground without a sound as the nunchuku collided with the side of his head.A flurry of dead leaves flew up as he struck the ground, lazily drifting back to rest in a manner that mocked the horror of this deadly scene.Tachiku, breathless, eyes wild and wide with panic and fear, stopped and tried to pick up her fallen child.The black figure had thrown the weapon at Sori with precision and now was only a few meters away.Cye's wife screamed with a fury she'd never felt in all her forty-one years, grabbed up the nunchuku from where it lay beside her son and, standing over Sori, prepared to defend him as best an angry mother could.

The black figure paused only two yards away, as if amused by this scene, but soon came on, steps calm and steady on the earth.

Tachiku Elisabeth Onamitsu Mouri—proud wife, lover, and friend of the bearer of Suiko, Cye Mouri, mother of two, daughter of a Japanese chef and a French dancer, artist of cakes—watched the approach of this monster who had destroyed her home and terrorized her children with the hardest expression she'd ever worn.She could still run, still get away, Sori would want her to… She glanced down at the auburn-blond teen, his hair falling across his face._My baby…_

She wasn't moving.


	8. Normal Is...

Normal Is… A satisfied Microsoft Office User Normal A satisfied Microsoft Office User 5 369 2001-10-27T03:10:00Z 2001-11-05T00:13:00Z 6 2988 17033 Family 141 34 20917 9.2720 

Normal Is…

*************

            Tess sat under the clothes rack, stifling her giggles with her hands.  Under another clothes rack, Rinfi waited gleefully for their mother to notice their absence.  Judah would no doubt realize the six and seven year olds were gone in a few seconds.  Oh, what fun this was!

            The hiding had been Tess's idea, and Rinfi, who admired her big sister a great deal, had been happy to go along.  Ma always told them not to hide when they went shopping, and everyone knows that little girls are supposed to do exactly what they're told not to, right?  They'd come to get new jeans for Tess, who loved to be rough on her clothes, and to get a jacket for Rinfi.  Rinfi did _not_ like trying on clothes of any kind.  Quite a lot of crying had already gone on today.

            Tess fingered her braid.  She'd always liked her hair the most out of all the things she owned.  It was the same chocolaty brown as Ma's, and even when braided, it hung down a little past her waist.  Some kids at school thought it was weird to wear your hair that long, but others thought it was really cool.  Of course, Rinfi's hair was much loved by kids too, because it was the same blue-black color as Daddy's—which was somewhat unusual—but it was only shoulder-length now and she wore it in a ponytail all the time.

            "Tess!  Fi!  Where are you?"

            Ma had noticed they were gone!  Oh, goodie!

            "Girls, you had better come out right now or else there will be no more TV for a week."

           Tess thought this over.  Nah, she could go without television for that long.  Leaning close to the floor, she looked across the store's carpet to the little feet under the next clothes rack, which were moving in a nervous manner.  Rinfi had better not give up so soon…

            "And you won't be allowed to stay up late to see Daddy."

            What?!  Oh, no!  Tess's eyes widened as she saw her little sister scramble out of her hiding place.  "Mama, I'm here, Mama!  Please don't lemme not see Daddy!"

            Ma laughed.  "Okay, honey.  But you still don't get any TV.  You should know better than to hide from me."

            "I'm sorry.  Tess said it would be fun."

            Oh, crud.  She really had to teach Rinfi not to rat on her like that.

            "And where is Tess hiding?"

            A moment later, Ma's hands thrust the clothes aside and her displeased face peered in at her second youngest child.  "Tess, get out of there right now."

           The seven-year-old sighed and crawled out, brushing herself off as she stood.  "I'm sorry," she said, but her tone was annoyed.

            "You should be, young lady," said Ma.  She turned Tess around, brushing dust off the girl's pants.  "Do you know what happens to little girls who hide from their mothers?  You could have been kidnapped or hurt and I wouldn't know where you were.  And what's more, you told your little sister to do it too.  You put Rinfi in danger.  You should be ashamed."

            "I know, I know!"  Tess rolled her eyes.  Her friend Penny said that mothers overreacted and were as whiny as the pre-k kids, and Penny rolled her eyes whenever her mom told her stuff like this.  Penny was one of the cool kids at school.

            Ma looked angry.  "Don't use that tone of voice with me, young lady.  Not only will you have no TV for a week and not stay up late, you're banned from using the phone, listening to the radio, and you'll have no dessert until I think you've learned a lesson.  Understood?"

            Tess's brown eyes widened in disbelief.  Ma was banning her from all that?  No way!  It wasn't fair!  "Not fair!" she screeched.

            "Oh, it's quite fair.  If it were up to your father, you'd be in a whole lot more trouble than this, believe me."

            "I don't care!  You and Daddy haven't let us do _anything_ since Uncle Ryo and Lessa disappeared, not even go outside!  It's not fair!  It's not _our_ fault they disappeared.  You're just grumpy and you're taking it out on us!"

            Rinfi's big blue-black eyes grew to a huge size.  Tess was yelling at Mama and she was being _rude_.  Ohhhh, boy, was she gonna be in trouble…

            Judah drew breath in like a hiss.  "Tess, quit yelling.  We're in a public place and you're acting very childish.  For your information, we have a very good reason to keep you in our sight all the time.  Of course it's not your fault but I am not being grumpy.  You misbehaved and you knew that you would get in trouble for it.  These are just your punishment.  And if you keep yelling at me, I'm going to have to punish you more."

            "Whaaaaaaat?!"

            "You heard me, young lady.  Now, be quiet and behave."

            Tess clenched her hands into fists, gritting her teeth.  This wasn't _fair_!  "I hate you!" she screamed.  "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!!!"  She ripped her arm out of her mother's grip and ran away.  Ma called after her and tried to catch her, but she dove under one of the long racks that stretched nine or ten yards across the room and came out running on the other side, creating more distance between herself and her mother quickly.  She passed the checkout lanes at top speed and went through the store doors.  She didn't run out into the parking lot; she wasn't stupid.  Instead, she turned and ran down the sidewalk towards the next store.  _I hate you!_

***********************

            Judah nearly collided with the clothes rack as Tess dove beneath it.  She started to run around it to continue the chase, but behind her, Rinfi called to her.  "Mama!"

            Glancing back and forth between her two youngest children, she quickly made a decision.  She ran back to Rinfi, scooped the girl up in one arm, setting her on her hip, and grabbed her purse from the shopping cart with her free hand.  Then she rushed towards the front of the store.  _Tess is right.  This isn't fair.  I know they're too little to understand it, but maybe they'd cooperate a bit more if we could tell them about the yoroi and everything…Why does this have to happen to _my_ family?_

            Rinfi had only turned six two weeks ago, and she'd always been a small child, but she understood this situation well enough.  "Mama, Tess was mad at you."

            "Yes, I know, honey.  But she'll get over it; she'll be fine."

            Judah stopped at a checkout desk.  "Excuse me, did you see that little girl run by a moment ago?"

            "The one with the braid?"

            "Yes, did you see which way she went?"

            The clerk nodded.  "She went towards the movie store to the left of us."

            "Thank you so much," she said and hurried out the door.  Outside, she set Rinfi on her feet and grasped her small hand.  "Come on, hurry, Fi."  The little girl ran as fast as she could, knowing that this was very urgent stuff.

            The movie store door set off a little bell when it was shoved open.  Judah glanced around, over the short shelves scattered about the room, but did not see her runaway daughter.  "Rinfi, sweetheart, why don't you go over there and pick out a movie?"  Rinfi's expressive eyes brightened with delight and she ran towards the shelf her mother had pointed at.  Judah went toward the desk at the back of the room.

            The clerk told her that yes, a little girl had come in here, but she'd just grabbed some of the store's free popcorn and left again, headed down the sidewalk outside.  Judah thanked the man and paid for Rinfi's movie before hurrying out again.  Rinfi clutched the plastic bag with the video inside to her as she went along.

            But outside, Judah braked to a halt and gasped.  Just a dozen yards away stood a figure in black armor.  The armor reminded her a great deal of the yoroi of her husband and the others.  God, what was happening here?  People were going about the parking lot and in and out of the line of stores as if nothing unusual were occurring at all.  Did no one else see it?

            Rinfi saw the thing that had caused her mother to stop so abruptly.  It looked so big and threatening… "Mama?"

            Judah didn't need to see the face inside the armor to know its intentions.  "No…" She whirled, grabbing up Rinfi in her arms, and ran.

            The black figure followed.

***********************

            Tess stood among the boxes in the shoe store with her bag of popcorn, warily watching the glass doors at the storefront.  Ma would find her eventually, she knew, but she was so…_mad_ at her.  She wasn't stupid!  She knew Daddy and Ma were keeping secrets from her; she'd known for a while.  She sighed and tossed more popcorn in her mouth.  "This sucks," she told herself.

            The storefront was covered in huge glass windows, so she could see outside easily.  This was getting very boring very fast…

            And then Ma ran by.

            Tess blinked.  Ma was carrying Rinfi and running as fast as she could, like she was trying to get away from something.  Her mother glanced back over her shoulder, allowing Tess to catch a glimpse of her face.

            Ma was scared.

            Mere seconds after Ma went by, a shadow passed the window.  A cold dread suddenly materialized in her gut.  Somehow she knew, instinctively, that the shadow was bad.  And it was after Ma and Rinfi.  She had to help!

            But she couldn't bring herself to move.  She was so scared… _Ma's in trouble.  That thing's gonna hurt her and Fi!  Gotta help!_  She took a few shaky steps toward the door, but stopped again.  She couldn't do it, couldn't.  "Ma…"

            Time seemed to freeze.  Standing there in the shoe store, her popcorn forgotten, Tess Fuan, seven years old, going on eight, tried to summon enough courage to go and help her mother.  Minutes passed.

            After perhaps five minutes, she pushed herself to the door.  Just as she opened it, she hadn't even stepped outside yet, a scream pierced the air.  Ma's voice.  Tess stepped back, shaking her head as if it were covered in spider webs, and let the door close.

            She knew, without a doubt even though she hadn't seen anything, that Ma and Rinfi were gone.

***********************

            _Screaming, pain…no!  Run, run!  Blood, red and black…nononono!  Black coming, don't stop!  Keep going, please!  NOOO!!!_

            Lessa moaned and turned over in her sleep.  These dreams…

            _It's for your own good._

_            Scratch._

_Do you remember when we could laugh…_

_            I remember an edge, the sky…freedom._

_            …I know what you're thinking, but you won't escape._

_            Scratch, scratch._

_Don't you ever do that again!_

_            I'm not worth it…just leave…_

_            Scratch.  Scratch, scratch._

_I didn't know._

_            I shouldn't have told you._

_            We shouldn't have come here…_

_            I know everything about everything around here._

_            Scratch, scratch, scratch._

_            She won't last the night.  I've won and you know it!_

_            Sometimes, I think of things that hurt you…_

_            There will be others to bear…_

_            Let go of me!  I'll use it…_

_            No!  Don't do it!_

_            Scratch._

_            Promise to remember…_

_            …I promise…_

            She jerked up, fully awake now.  Lessa focused her eyes on the black bundle of fur curled between her feet.  "Sid…here kitty, kitty."  The kitten yawned and blinked, awaking at the call, and crawled up to her waiting hands.  As she stroked his soft fur, he fell back to sleep, but she couldn't follow.  These dreams were going to driver her insane… First, the dream about the twins and Aunt Tachiku.  And then the one about the promise, about remembering… Nonsense, of course, but…

            She tossed back the covers, holding Sid's small body to her, and got dressed.  This had to be the earliest she'd gotten up in a long time.  She could always get back in bed… No, the dreams would come back.  Lessa slung the sleeping kitten over her shoulder and left her room.

            The rest of the morning was rather uneventful, the highlight of the early hours was when a bag of flour broke and snowed down all over Eky.  Three hours' training with Ulner in the practice room, grouped scythes were the weapon of the day.  That was fine with Lessa.  She'd started to get bored with the nunchuku.  "In a few days," said Ulner, "if you've gotten good with the scythes, Zwiff can start you on the no-datchi."

            "Eheh…don't you think that's a bit big for me?"

            "…nope!"

            "You overestimate my potential as a student."

            "You underestimate my capacity as a teacher."  Ulner paused at a window, looking at the sun.  "Okay, let's break for a while, Black."

            "Ulner, don't call me that.  I prefer Lessa."  She put the scythes in their place and glared at the man.  "I haven't even learned how to summon it yet."

            Ulner shrugged, readjusting his eye patch absently.  "All in good time, kid."

            "Hey…where's Zwiff today?"

            "The master had a small task for him to perform elsewhere in the palace today."  He grinned.  "I have a surprise for you."

            She raised one eyebrow.  "Oh, really?"

            "Mm-hm.  Come on."  He strode out of the room.

            Grabbing up Sid from where he slept in the sunlight from the window, she ran after him.  "Well then wait up!"

***********************

            Cye glared at the dirty dishes on the counter as if the disgust in his gaze could clean them itself.  "More evidence!" he finally called.

            "What now?" returned Sage's voice from some other room.

            "Dirty dishes."

            Kento appeared in the doorway, Sage not far behind.  "How is that evidence?"

            "Allie raised Lessa with a strict discipline when it came to keeping this house clean.  'No dirty dishes' is so deeply rooted in Lessie's mind, she washes them automatically," Cye reminded his friends.

            "Ah." Sage nodded.  "Well, we found a stain on the carpet.  Looks recent and like no one bothered to try to clean it up.  Another thing contrasting her upbringing."

            "And her bed's been slept in, her bike's been moved, and a whole bag worth of clothes are missing," added Kento.

            "The bag was probably her Broncos duffel.  It was missing, too."

            Cye sighed.  "So, where do we go from here?"

            Just then, a shrill ringing erupted in the room.  Kento jumped and quickly fumbled his cell phone out of his pocket.  "Hello?"

            His friends watched as his expression fell into confusion, then surprise, and finally a shocked look.  "Alright…I'll go get her.  Call Maya and tell her you're coming over before you go.  And stay calm, okay?… Okay, bye." He hung up, pocketing the phone and dragging his hands over his face.

            Cye waited a moment, then repeated, "And where do we go from here?"

            Kento looked up at his best friend with eyes haunted with shock, fear, anger, and grief.  "First, we go pick up my daughter from a store where she's stranded since her mother and little sister disappeared.  Then we go to Sage's, cuz my Ben and Lily are going there and your daughter is out cold in Rusty's bed."

            All color drained from Cye's face as Kento talked.  "No…"

            Sage took charge.  "Let's get going then.  It'll be dark soon and I'm sure Tess is scared enough as it is."  He led them out of the abandoned Hashiba home, no longer a home, and said a mental prayer that this was all just a coincidence and the thing Kento hadn't mentioned was something simple and non-threatening.  This couldn't be happening… Their lives were supposed to be normal now…normal…

***********************

            I think I hurt Ulner when I shoved him aside to get through the door.  He hit the wall with a funny 'oomph' sound.  I ignored him.

            He'd taken me to one of the living wings, where people's rooms were.  Mine was on the other side of the palace and it was a pretty long walk from one side to the other.  But, anyway, we'd gotten here and he'd led me to a room, opened the door, and there he was.

            Sori was sleeping in a bed across the room, one arm flung across his eyes while he snored lightly.  I stared, blinked, and shrieked as I shoved Ulner out of my way.  Sori shot up in the bed, wide awake, looking at me in adorable surprise.  I tackled him, knocking us both to the floor.  Sitting atop him, I shook his shoulders.  "What're you _doing_ here?"

            He laughed while he pushed me off of him.  "I _was_ sleeping.  But then I was attacked."

            I was so happy just to see someone from back home that I scrambled to my feet and hugged him as tightly as I could.  "You have no idea how good it is to see you."

            "…or where I am."

            "Huh?"

            Ulner, having recovered his dignity, stepped into the room.  "He can't remember Lessa.  The passage between the realms was too much for his memory.  We did everything we could, but nothing worked to restore the memories that he lost.  They may still be buried in his mind somewhere, just not accessible."

            "And where am I?" Sori poked me in the back while I was turned away from him.  "And why are you here, Les?"

            "You're in the Nether Realm."  I awaited his reaction with one eyebrow raised.

            "No.  Way."

            "Yep.  This is Ulner, by the way.  And I'm here because…oh, boy, it's a long story… We'll talk about it later."

            He shrugged.  "If you say so.  Where're Mom and Kyri?"

            I looked to Ulner.  The man sighed.  "Your mother is sleeping.  She needs her rest.  Your sister isn't here.  She's still in the Mortal Realm."

            "Why?" my cousin prodded, in an exasperated tone.

            "Because she wasn't with you when we came to get you and we didn't have time to wait for her or find her."

            "Whatever," Sori sighed.

            I fidgeted, shifted my weight to my other foot, and finally said, "Ulner, can we talk outside for a minute?"  Without awaiting his response, I left the room.  The moment he joined me in the hall, I asked, "Okay, why's he here?"

            My trainer grinned.  "D'torei noticed that Suiko was not at his home and it was too good an opportunity to pass up.  Since you still haven't gotten the summoning down, Zwiff and I went to get Suiko's family.  Everything went fine, except Kyri wasn't there.  We did our best to keep their minds intact, so the short-term memories are all they've lost."

            "Okay…hey, how come I didn't lose my memory coming here?"

            "Black was already with you when you came, you just hadn't accepted it.  That didn't keep it from protecting you though."

            "Ohhh.  What about Kyri?"

            He sighed.  "You ask too many questions a day.  D'torei's trying to find her right now.  When he does, we'll go get her."

            "Okay…um, what now?"

            "Tell you what," he said, suddenly smiling again.  "You can have the rest of the day off to spend with your friend.  Just make sure you go for your time with D'torei after supper.  Can you keep from getting lost if I leave you here?"

            I felt a little embarrassed that he had to ask that.  I did still get lost from time to time but Eky had been teaching me tricks to prevent that and helping me learn the halls.  "Of course!  Eky showed me this wing two days ago."

            "Alright." He started walking away, but called back in afterthought, "Don't get into any trouble."

            "Alright, alright!"  I made a shooing gesture at him and turned back into Sori's room.  Before he could say a word, I grabbed him into another hug.  "Netherhells, I missed you guys so much."

            "Of course ya did!  What would you do with out us?  Um…Les?"

            "What?"

            "How long've you been here anyway?"

            "About two weeks."

            He scratched his head in confusion.  "Funny.  I coulda sworn it was just yesterday that we were taking you out for your birthday…"

            I laughed and shook my head.  "It's that memory loss thing.  Come on, I want you to meet my friend Eky."  Seizing his hand, I dragged him away from his room.

***********************

            Sori followed Lessa down the hall.  At an "intersection", there was a small black kitten curled up asleep in a windowsill.  Lessa scooped the kitten up on the fly, slinging it over her shoulder like it was a scarf and not a living creature.  The kitten just yawned, moved to curl around her neck like it really was a scarf, and went back to sleep.

            "Who's this?" Sori asked, laughing at the kit's unintended performance.

            Lessa grinned.  "This is my baby, Obsidian.  Call him Sid.  Not that he'll pay attention; he sleeps almost nonstop."

            "Reminds me of someone else I know."

            "Hey!  I didn't sleep _that_ much!"

            "You kidding?  I remember you sleeping through every school day in kindergarten for about three months before you started home-schooling."

            "You don't remember that far back."

            "Do too.  I also remember you falling on your face in the mud when you got off the merry-go-round."

            "That wasn't funny."

            "It was!  God, it was!" He started laughing at just the memory.

            "Oh, shut up."

            "Make me."

            "Fine, just remember that you brought this on yourself."  She dropped Sid on a windowsill in passing, and lunged for Cye's son.

           Wide eyed, he turned and ran, shouting about crazy women with poor memories of their childhoods.  _Just like back home.  But then why does everything seem so…**wrong**?_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR:

            Guess what?! My most wonderful best bud drew pictures of Lessa and Sori! Here's the URL: http://elsewhere.topcities.com/studio.html

She's also working on pics of Rusty, Kyri, and Ben. Maybe even Lily. Isn't she great? Encourage her, please, so she'll hurry the heck up. Her email is screamsong@hotmail.com


	9. All the Things You Hide

All the Things You Hide

*************

            _I don't plan on these things, you know.  It just seems to be part of the Your-Dad's-Got-An-Armor-And-Has-To-Save-The-World-Every-Other-Day deal. Sucks, huh?  I mean, one of my best friends/cousins gets kidnapped or something, along with one of my "uncles", and no one has the slightest clue about why or where to or anything like that and it just SUCKS.  Sucks, sucks, sucks.  It's like that painting I tried to do last month and when it was absolutely perfect and probably my best work ever, Sori's damn little friend Jason splashes cranberry juice all over it. Blah._

_Not that I'm complaining._

_Not yet, anyway._

_This is the part where I complain: My mother and my brother are gone.  One minute we're all safe and happy and all that crap at home and the next, Sori and Mom are just kinda POOF!  Gone.  Another little benefit of the armor deal?  My guess is, yes._

_It gets worse of course.  Aunt Judah and little Rinfi disappeared in much the same way.  I'm getting very close to the Lily philosophy at this point: "I'm in a bad mood.  Anything moves, I'll kill it!"_

_Then comes the part where I had to tell Dad.  I thought at first that I was doing an okay job of giving it to him gently.  Until he stood up and walked out of the room and didn't come back.  Sage found him sitting on the kitchen floor in front of the sink, and he was so blank-faced I thought maybe he'd gone catatonic.  I don't think I would have lasted long if that had been the case.  Dad's sleeping right now, and I'm sitting in the chair beside the bed while I write this stupid thing._

_Kento is down in the kitchen with Tess, I think.  She's taking it surprisingly well, just very sensitive to almost everything.  And she's really mad at herself, too, I think… I want Sori to come home.  I want Mom scolding us for being too loud.  I want Dad to be able to smile and laugh like he used to every time Sori and I sang Little Miss Can't-Be-Wrong.  I want Judah and Rinfi to be with Ben and Lily and Kento and Tess.  I want Ryo to come walking through the door and lose his temper over something.  I want Lessa sleeping on the living room floor with candy wrappers all over the place.  I want Rowen and Allie to be alive and with Lessa, so she wouldn't get that suicidal look in her eyes from time to time.  I want a normal life in a world where invaders in black armor don't take your family away from you when you're supposed to be going to college with your twin brother in just a month._

_I want everything to be okay._

_Is that so much to ask?_

Kyri Mouri 

***********************

            Rusty was pacing again. Maya watched him from where she was curled up in the easy chair with her book. Her son had been on edge ever since Goldette had showed up the day before with the unconscious Kyri slung over her back. He jumped at the slightest touch if it was unexpected, and she could see the wary anger in his eyes smoldering almost constantly. This was all so _wrong_. When she'd married Sage, even though she'd known all about the yoroi, she'd never considered the possibility that anything would threaten their happiness together, their lives, or her son…

            The two remaining Mouris were upstairs in the room that had been Lessa's just a week ago. Cye had wiped himself out with shock and grief and hadn't taken long to fall asleep. Poor Kyri was probably still up there with him. The girl had yet to say anything more than what she'd told her father. Not a word had left her mouth since then. Kento and Tess were still in the kitchen, talking in quiet tones. Kento didn't want to let his daughter leave his sight, and Tess didn't want to be more than a couple yards from her father.  Ben and Lily were out on the front lawn, sparring. Sage was sitting on the porch, watching them.

            Rusty had decided to stay with her, didn't want to leave her alone. And now he was pacing. "Rusty, honey, stop wearing out my good carpet."

            The teenager halted and sighed. "Sorry."

            Maya patted the easy chair's arm. "Come sit with me."

            He did as she asked, as he always had. "Mother…everything's so…"

            "Screwed up?"

            Rusty nodded.

            Maya ran her hand through his hair. "I know. But let me ask you something."

            "What?"

            "What do you think is the worst part?"

            He looked at her blankly. "Worst? How can any one part be the worst?"

            "Well, there's always one thing that hurts more than all the rest."

            "…I guess so."

            She brushed a few coppery strands away from his forehead. "Alright. So what's the worst part now?"

            "I'm not sure…" he murmured. "I get so angry when I think about Sori and Aunt Tachiku… And then Judah…and little Rinfi… I just want to beat the crap out of someone." His brow scrunched up in frustrated thought.

            Maya knew that he was hesitating. "But that's not the worst part to you, is it?"

            Her son sighed, glaring at the carpet as if he could burn holes in it. "No."

            "Am I going to have to poke and prod all day then?" She poked him in the ribs.

            He grinned a little. "No." His expression became solemn again. "There's Ryo being gone…and Lessa…"

            "Uh-huh…?"

            "…I keep thinking that she just wasn't completely ready for all this, that we should have waited a little longer before letting her start training and everything. I don't think she was completely over Rowen and Allie being…gone."

            Sage's wife smiled. "There's more, isn't there?"

            "What, are you psychic or something?" he teased back.

            "No, no. I'm just a lowly retired psychologist. The psychic stuff's your father's area. Oops, don't tell him I mentioned that. But, really, what're you holding back?"

             Rusty flinched. _…it's not like you to hold back._ She'd been right. That day at the mall, the fight with Akutagawa. He'd been unwilling to go all out right then, to put all his skill into beating the man. Why? _Because I was angry, and I was afraid I'd take it out on him._ But angry about what? He'd just been angry, even before Les had thrown the water on him. _I was angry because…because Lessa wasn't._ He was surprised with himself. He'd never thought to question the anger, just to get rid of it before he did something stupid.

            "Lessa," he whispered.

            "What about her?" pushed Maya.

            _Yeah, what?_ Why had it mattered that Lessa wasn't angry? _Because she should have been. Her life was a wreck and she had gotten so calm about it, so accepting._ So? What was wrong about that? It was better than trying to kill herself every hour or so. _It wasn't fair. She didn't deserve that. She deserved better than all that chaos. Better._ And that was it.

            "I miss her. And not just that. I'm angry…furious, because every time she's doing okay again, something happens to mess her up again. I'm scared…because she might not come back this time."

            Maya shook her head sadly. "Oh, baby. I'm sorry. But this isn't something you should worry about. Lessa's just as hardy as her father was; she won't go down easy. I remember when Rowen had that bad flu strain, and he ended up having to go to the hospital. The man hated hospitals as much as he hated parties. Kento had to take him since Allie was still in California with Ryo. Kento told us later that the whole way there, Rowen was cursing everything he could think of to remotely blame for his condition, right down to a torn page in an old textbook. And right before Kento left him, Rowen told him that there was no way he would let himself be stuck there for more than a day."

            "And?"

            "Well, he was there for twenty-nine hours. More than a day, but not much. He got better so fast. Of course, Tenku probably helped, but willpower may have made a difference. Lessa's so much like Rowen…and she's got a lot of Allie, good ol' Allie in her too. She'll come back…it'll be okay, sweetheart."

            Rusty smiled at her. "Yeah." He stood up. "Hey, I'm going to go check on Kyri again, okay?"

            "Sounds like a better idea than wearing out more of my carpet." She slapped his butt playfully. "Now get off with you so I can read my book."

            He laughed and headed for the stairs. _Lessa better get back soon…before I get too angry again._

***********************

            She stared long and hard at the door. The door. Door. There was no door! Only walls and some rugged, half-decent furniture. No exit or entrance, not even a window. The room was lit by half-melted candles scattered here and there. A prison, even if it had the illusion of some comfort.

            "I'm not afraid of you," she whispered. "I'm not. I never will be. I'm not afraid. Not afraid."

            The walls, of course, did not respond.

            "Do you hear me?!" she screamed. "I'm NOT _AFRAID_!!!"

            Silence was the only reply.

            She started laughing. Softly at first, then louder. Her laughter grew until it was hysterical, wild and uncontrolled, pealing off the walls and furniture with an insane quality. She fell to her knees on the stone floor, pounded her fists into the unforgiving rock, screaming with laughter.

            "That's enough."

            She jerked upright, silent. Slowly, a smirk overtook her lips. "Hello to you too. I suppose you're here to ask me to do something else, aren't you?" She chuckled, the hysteria still tainting her voice. "Well, of course. Whatever you want. I don't know why I should even give you my consent. After all, I have no choice in the matter, do I? Do I?!" She deteriorated into that insane laughter once again.

            "Silence!"

            She quieted.

            "How can I take the rest, child? Tell me."

            Surprisingly, the smirk returned. "Or you'll what? Threaten my life again? Go ahead. I don't care. Death is preferable to this never-ending nightmare you've made of my life."

            "If you wish. But then I might as well kill your precious friends while I'm at it. And the others. Those mortals you hold so highly. Even the children."

            "You wouldn't dare!"

            The voice, still without a visible owner, laughed. "You forget. I also have the boy. Would you betray even him? What would your grandfather say? What would the boy's father think of you then? Have you no love for them?"

            She had stood up, had taken a defiant pose. But now, as these words were spoken, she sank back to the floor, shaking her head in denial. "No. No. Not my baby. Not my little boy. Never."

            "Good girl. Now tell me what I ask."

            She hung her head in defeat. She'd long ago broken under the will of this tyrant, and had even begun to lose what hold she had on her sanity. Sometimes she had dreams of days full of darkness and pain and hatred, then days of joy and light, voices laughing freely and without the hysteria that colored her own false mirth now. She dreamt of loneliness, sorrow and guilt. And one sweet dream…that soft hair under her hands, a hand against her cheek, words whispered in her ear, words of comfort and tenderness, of forgiveness…and love. She always woke from all of those dreams confused and maybe a little frightened.

She stood here and was sharply aware of how haggard she'd become lately. She knew her hair was a tangled, greasy mess. She knew her cheekbones were painfully obvious beneath her dirty, bruised cheeks. She knew that her eyes were hidden by shadows and bangs in terrible need of a trim and washing, dark circles painting the anxiety-tainted flesh around her once bright eyes. She knew that she was a sorry sight. The dreams made her ashamed of herself, but she saw no reason to do anything to improve her appearance. There was nothing left for her anyway…

"Tell me!"

She snapped back to the "real world". It was a world she'd begun to question, but a world she still had duties in; small, vain duties, but duties nonetheless. "I will. Give me a moment." She closed her eyes and concentrated.

A dim room. A broken man, lost within himself, exhausted by emotion and questioning his own ability. A girl sitting by a bed, forlorn, angry, grief-stricken, and yet somehow…slightly, secretly hopeful. A boy in the doorway, smiling, comforting, but with a dark, hidden anger smoldering within. Away now, past the boy, down the stairs, into a well-lit, warm room. A woman there, full of quiet strength and thoughts, love in her heart. Away again. Through another door, through a room, another door, into a room…a kitchen it seemed. A man stirring something in a skillet, talking cheerfully, but there was pain within him, hidden for the sake of a deeper love. A young child, a girl, sitting on a counter, angry and afraid, wary of everything, guilt, a need to protect. Quickly, now, time's running out! Away, back through the room where the woman is, through a fine door, outside, a porch. A man sitting in a bench swing, thoughtful, finding serenity from a secret source, watchful at the same time, planning, some anger carefully stocked away. A boy in the lawn, touched by grief and a sense of intense loss, loyally determined, a deep well of hidden strength, trying to keep light for others' sake. A girl, openly furious, concentrating her rage, focusing on it, making it her center, deep sorrow, thoughts flying by too quickly, rebellious, protective. And all of them…what was it? A changing, a shifting? What was that feeling…

Her breath left her quickly and she collapsed.

"Well? You've seen what you needed to see. Now tell me how I can take the rest."

She concentrated on breathing first, then pushed herself off the floor carefully. Leaning against some piece of furniture, she sighed and said, "Let the shadows grow. There will be a shift in its shape and darkness, and then uproot the foundations. Turn the shadow on the sparks for more. Throw the darkness upon the light. There lies truth or lie, as will be. Step lightly, lest your shadow bite your own heel and hand."

"Riddles again? Why do you never say it outright?"

"That's your own fault. You did this to me. Put the gray over the white so I can't see straight anymore. I can't help that the sight has been tainted. Riddles are the only answers I get now. Your fault."

"Wench. Keep your insolence to yourself. Perhaps you just need to review that same old lesson again, hm?"

She flinched and hurried to her feet, the panic and hysteria returned to her eyes as she sought some escape. But there was no such thing and as the candles all abruptly went out she found only enough breath to scream once before the punishment came.

***********************

Eky gasped and whirled full circle, nearly dropping the pot. Scalding hot water sloshed up and splashed onto the girl in front of him. She screamed and dropped the basket she'd been carrying. He, in turn, tossed the pot aside and rushed to help her. "Oh, Anx, I'm sorry!"

"It's okay," she gritted out, her jaw clenched and eyes screwed shut. She sat on the grass, careful not to let her legs touch the ground. "What's wrong with you? You're so jumpy lately. Ouch!"

He drew back his hand, spurting apologies. "Come on. We better go get you taken care of or you'll scar."

"Ah, I'm tough, babe. Tough… Just kinda, ow, in pain, that's all." She laughed at herself and at the awkwardness of the situation as her friend tried to lift her without causing her more pain. "I'll be fine. But you, dear boy, need to fix whatever's wrong with you."

Some time later, after Anx had been delivered into the hands of the nurse, and Eky had received a long and enthusiastic scolding/lecture from both the head cook and the supervisor, the young man finally found a little time to think about what had happened while he was dicing onions. What had happened anyway? He'd thought he'd heard…no…felt something. At first, he'd thought it was someone behind him, in trouble, and he'd turned to see. But even as he'd turned, he'd thought again that perhaps it was Anx, who he'd come to care a lot about, who was in trouble, and he'd whirled the rest of the way around.

But Anx had been fine.

That is, she'd been fine until he'd splashed the water on her.

Still…there was something else. There was something so wrong…

***********************

Sage laughed as Ben and Lily ended up on the ground, neither one the victor. They held each other in headlocks, taunting one another in hopes to distract their opponent. Ben teased his sister about her hair and short height; Lily mocked her brother about his shyness and good grades. After several minutes more of this, Lily bit Ben's arm.

"Yyyowwwwch!" Ben jerked to his feet and dropped the younger girl, nursing his arm. "That was low, Lil!"

"Oh, boo-hoo. Whatcha gonna do 'bout it? Cry?"

A grin came to his lips. "…nooo."

Lily gave him a suspicious look. "Hey…why are you looking at me like that?"

"Don't worry, little sister. Nothing too terrible."

She shook her head and laughed. But then Ben lunged at her and she spun about, kicking him in the shoulder as she went. However, she'd only run a few feet before she was grabbed up and tossed over one of the taller boy's shoulders. She kicked and punched and screamed and bit, but to no avail. She strained to look over her own shoulder and then her eyes widened. "Nooo!" she hollered. "You can't do this to me!"

"I can, and I will," laughed Ben.

A moment later, sputtering and wiping soaked hair out of her face, Lily glared at Ben as she bobbed in the little pond just within the forest's tree line. "Oh, you're gonna pay," she growled, storming out of the water. Ben laughed and laughed, even as he jogged away.

Lily shook herself and squeezed most of the water out of her hair, muttering and growling the whole time, but she couldn't help grinning. "I'll get you back, Benjamin Fuan!"

"Yeah, yeah," he shouted back.

"Alright, you two," Sage said. "It's getting cold. Why don't you come inside?"

Ben shrugged and went past him through the door. Lily came stomping out of the trees, wringing her shirt out. She rolled her eyes when Sage stepped back, avoiding her drenched self. Abruptly, she jumped at him, embracing him and effectively soaking every bit of him that she touched. The man protested, laughed, and pushed her away. Surveying the damage, he sighed. "Thanks so much, Lily."

"Welcome," she said brightly, walking on into the house.

Sage glanced around at the woods and the road once more, feeling almost paranoid. Seeing nothing, he went inside, and found that he had to resist the urge to lock the door behind him.


	10. When You're All Alone

When You're All Alone

*************

            The nightmares went away three days after Sori's first day in the maze of halls with me, after Rinfi and Judah arrived. Judah and Tachiku had each awoken only once, but seemed kind of…bleary, I guess. D'torei told me that he was doing all he could for them, but apparently, the transporting between realms was just too much for them. He said he had total confidence that they would fully recover, he just didn't know when.

            Anyway, the nightmares. All those horrible, black, bloody nightmares finally stopped. Even the memory dream let me be at long last. But now I kept feeling like someone was watching me when I went down certain halls. When I mentioned this to Sori, he made comments on my having gotten hit upside the head in the training room so much. I had to chase him again.

            Sometimes, I'd wake up in the middle of the night, feeling like there was someone else in my room, or _something_ else. Sid didn't seem to notice, and he noticed even the moths sleeping on the high vaulted ceiling of the dining room, so I discounted it as just more homesick jitters, which I'd had plenty of.

            But you know that little voice in the back of your head that tells you weird things, and no matter how much you count against it, it's almost always right? Well, that little voice was whispering to me: "Something is really wrong. Terribly, horribly wrong."

***********************

            His world was all pain now. Not physical, although sometimes…he thought it was tantamount to having his heart ripped out and thrust in a blender. Once or twice, he'd remember that there was something left to hold onto, not everything was gone…but it just…wasn't enough.

            Cye had submerged himself in an ocean very different from the kind he'd always reveled in, taken comfort in, even drawn power from. This ocean's waves tossed to a rhythm that was not the harmonious tempo of the sea he'd taught his children to love when they were barely a year old. No, these waves smashed in wild, ferocious beats against every part of him that was still whole. Anything he'd ever thought safe and good, sweet and worth living for, was being washed away by a hurricane of grief, fear, pain. There was no refuge from the gale-force winds and waters that raged within him now.

            Tachiku…he never should have brought her into this mess. He should've just handed the books to her and left all those years ago, instead of stopping to talk to her, working up the courage to get her telephone number or something.

            But he hadn't. He'd talked, listened, shared. He'd fallen in love.

            Tachiku had given him her number while she smiled at his blush. They'd kept talking, dated, married.

            The babies. Oh, what miraculous little lights they'd been. He'd been stunned when Tachiku had told him she was pregnant, and then overjoyed. Shock had been the only expression that came to his face for a good five minutes when a doctor had informed them that they were going to have twins. And when the children finally came…

            The memory was one of the most vivid he had. That morning, he'd been halfway to work already when the car mobile rang. Tachiku had urged him to return home immediately. "I don't want my children born in a car, honey, so you better hurry," she'd said with laughter touching her tone.

            While his wife had been laboring to bring their children into the world at the hospital, he'd called his friends and then he had stalked the waiting room for half an hour before Sage and Rowen—who'd come to Colorado just two days before so he could be there when Cye's twins arrived—burst through a door, both out of breath. Sage had dropped into a chair, panting heavily; Rowen had just sat down on the floor, gasping out that his legs didn't have the energy to get him to a chair. They would later explain that they'd had to park a good six blocks away.

            Kento had come in a few minutes later, nowhere near as rushed. He'd wormed his car into an over-packed parking lot across the street, and nudged aside a couple other vehicles to park his own. "My best bud's gonna be an old man! A couple dented cars are a small price to pay to be here so I can tease ya." And then he'd proceeded to give Cye plenty of noogies.

            Ryo, still in California, called Kento's cellular phone every ten minutes, asking, "Well? Are they there yet?" like an impatient child.  Kento would say no, Ryo would say damn or something similar, and the call would be ended. But ten minutes later, the phone would be ringing again.

            Now, in a sleep plagued with dreams that were composed of such memories, Cye moaned softly and tried to turn away from the light coming through the window.  Though he didn't know it, a hand came to his brow, wiping it with a cool damp cloth.  The dreams continued…

            When the wait finally ended, someone had called him into a room and before he really knew what was happening, he was sitting in a chair with a bundle in his arms.  He distinctly recalled blinking, and then his eyes had found those of the creature he held.  He'd been left breathless.  "What shall you name this one, hm?" asked a doctor standing by Tachiku's bed. Cye—he could see himself in this beautiful, horrible dream—looked up, still uncertain how to approach this situation, how to respond to the miracle, the precious life he'd been presented with.  And Tachiku had met his gaze, had smiled at him. In her arms, she held another bundle, another miracle. "This one here," she said, turning her loving gaze upon the child at her breast, "this will be Kyri. And her brother, who seems to have left his dear father mute…" she glanced up at Cye, laughing, "His name will be Sori…"

            Cye smiled back, nodded, and then looked again at his son. "Sori…"

            The edges blurred, the dream dissipated into the darkness of false vision. Then it coalesced again into new shapes, and still the bearer of Suiko could look upon himself, or dream-self…who had just gotten out of a car.

            Kyri sat on the front steps, round little face balanced on her chalk-covered hands, her elbows on her knees, her shoes missing as they almost inevitably did until around her eighth birthday. The chalk stick she'd held in her hands had left its sign on her skin, and was now being smeared across her young cheeks. Her hair was a fright today, having thoroughly escaped the careful braid her mother had put it in that morning. She was looking annoyed, as usual, and the expression brought a smile to Cye's face.

            Sori was chasing a soccer ball around the yard, a present from Uncle Ryo. They'd gotten him a haircut just last month, but already it seemed he needed another one…the poor boy looked like a girl…He had chalk all over him too, mostly his clothes.

            Cye walked towards the steps, but a smear of color caught his eye and he stopped.

            They had a huge front yard, a massive back yard, a large house. The front yard was divided into four parts: the large rectangle directly before the house, beside the road; the two squares between that large rectangle and the house, divided by a sidewalk that came from the steps to move toward the road and then turn two ways to flow the perimeter of both squares; and then, to the right of the driveway, which was beside the lawn square on the right from the road's view, there was a fourth huge rectangle with four trees scattered across it. Now, approaching the sidewalk, he paused.

            Colored chalk was smeared all across the walk, faint outlines still evident, but everything was blurred as if something had rubbed the picture away. He bent down to inspect it closer; he was always interested in what his children did, even when Tachiku called him at work to talk about Sori's knocking over the cake twice, of Kyri's habit of drawing on everything, including walls, bedsheets, clothes…

            Kyri stood up with a sigh and came to stand beside him.  Sori dashed by shouting at his ball to stop as if it would hear him.  Kyri winced, almost as if she expected her brother to hit her.  She sighed once more and then pointed at the chalk smears. "It was a sakura tree, Daddy." She sighed again and went to sit down. "Like the one in the painting in your room."

            Indeed, Cye could see the tree vaguely, or the had-been tree anyway. "What happened to it?" he asked, even as the answer occurred to him. _Sori's clothes…_

            "Sori. He thought it was funny." Kyri shrugged. "And I ran out of chalk." She stood up now, opened the door, saying, "I didn't hit him this time, Daddy." The door closed behind her.

            Sori finally reappeared with his soccer ball under his arm. "She's mad at me." He blew at his long bangs, which did little good, as the hair fell right back in his face. "She's always mad. Mommy says it's cuz I'm mean to her, but she's mean to me too!" Then his little face brightened. "Guess what, Daddy? I can beat anyone in my class when we do arm wrestling now. Isn't that cool?"

            "Sure, kiddo!" Cye hoisted the six-year-old to his hip. "Now, why did you mess up your sister's picture?"

            "Cuz…"

            "Cuz why?"

            "Because…just cuz!" He scrunched up his face. "The stupid tree wasn't that great anyway!"

            Cye gave his son the look. The look was reserved only for occasions when the kids were misbehaving a great deal and refused to acknowledge it.  Even Kyri's stubborn anger would melt under this disapproving gaze.  Now, Sori blinked and looked away, his self-righteous expression vanished, replaced with a sheepish look. "It was just a stupid tree…"

            "But your sister was proud of it, wasn't she?"

            "I guess so…I'm sorry."

            "You should be apologizing to Kyri, not me. Now, go do that right now." He set the boy on his feet and gave him a gentle push toward the door. As Sori opened it, Cye called to him. The boy turned around again. "Sori, I bought a new video game today.  If you behave until six o'clock, we'll have a game together, okay?"

            Sori's face was instantly eager and obedient. "Okay!" He practically dove through the door, nearly slamming it behind him.

            A thought occurred to Cye now, as he dreamt this memory… He'd always…he'd always favored his son.  Sure, he paid plenty of attention to Kyri, adored her, loved her…but it was Sori he spent the most time with, Sori with whom he was more lenient, Sori who he bought the most things for…

            The dream continued.  He'd gone into the kitchen and hugged his wife while she beat away at a bowl of eggs.  Upstairs, he could hear a door slamming and Sori's shouts, apparently attempts at apology, which his sister was indignantly refusing.  Tachiku kissed him, laughing.  "They've been at it all day," she told him.

            "Why?  What was it this time?"

            "Oh, I found a book in Kyri's room." She picked up a volume from a counter.  "Just look."

            Cye opened the book and blinked. He flipped through page after page. "Look at these…" he whispered. The book was one of those blank-paged ones, but this one had penciled, crayoned, penned—whatever else—sketches adorning every page. Pictures of dogs, cats, trees, clouds, houses, flowers, people…

            "I think we got the names a little backwards, love." Tachiku took the book from him, methodically searching through it. "I named Sori for the famous painter…but it seems that our little Kyri, named for a song…" she turned the book back to him, holding it on a certain page, "…is the true artist."

            The picture she'd turned to was very carefully drawn with graphite.  A woman stood before a young boy, who sat at a school desk.  She had a disapproving look upon her face, and the boy looked embarrassed. There was a paper airplane in the boy's hand, which he was trying to hide out of the teacher's line of sight. Other desks were scattered around the classroom, and the other students were watching this with interest. In the background, the teacher's desk was cluttered with papers and writing utensils, an apple or two being used for paperweights. A blackboard was behind the desk, and writing was on it.  Cye could even read the words written there. "Kyri…drew _this_?"

            "Isn't it amazing?  Just six years old.  That woman there, that's Kyri's teacher, Ms. Everon; I knew it when I first saw her. And the whole sketch is seen from the viewpoint of Kyri's desk… I think we should get a special tutor for her, to help her develop."

            Cye shook his head in amazement as he sat down at a table. "But what does this have to do with them fighting?"

            "Oh, well, that's simple!" Tachiku started beating her eggs again. "Sori's just jealous. But he has his own talents.  Did you know he can pick up one end of that table you're sitting at?  He's turning into quite a strong little fellow.  And he likes to play with your camera too.  You should teach him how to use one."

            Sori had come pounding down the stairs then. Cye had smiled at him, asked, "Did you apologize?"

            "Uh, kinda. She said that she'd forgive me if I'd just go away and shut up already.  So, can we play now?"

            "Sure." Cye stood up, snatching up the plastic bag he'd set on the table when he'd walked in.  "Hope your ready to get your butt kicked, kid.  I'll beat you for sure this time!" They headed for the rec room, and Cye grabbed his son up under one arm, despite all protests, and carried him along.

            "Will not!" Sori shouted but laughed. As they passed through the stairwell room to the rec room, Cye caught a glimpse of his daughter's unhappy face on the stairs, but he didn't stop. Kyri would be fine; she'd get over it soon enough. He ruffled his son's hair and said, "Will too."

            He'd forgotten about Kyri in a mere five minutes…

            Cye sat up.

            "Dad?"

            He turned to look at the voice. "Kyri…oh, baby, come here." He grabbed her into his arms before she could respond.  "I'm so sorry.  I'm so, so sorry."

            "Dad…" The girl merely wrapped her arms around him, confused and relieved at the same time. "It's okay.  I'm sorry too.  I should've helped them."

            "No, baby, this isn't your fault at all.  But…but I can't do this anymore…"

            "What? What are you talking about?" Kyri's expression was priceless, the kind that made him want to call Sori to take a picture before it was gone…but that was part of the problem…Sori couldn't come now…

            Cye pulled his daughter out of her chair and onto the bed, into his lap. He stroked her hair; he didn't want to let her go… "Kyri…I never paid much attention to you, did I?"

            This seemed to unnerve the girl. "Of course you did! You paid plenty of attention to me!  Why are you talking like this?" She was concerned, he could tell.

            "I didn't pay attention to you.  And then…I didn't protect you…and it was my fault that you were attacked at all. If I had never been a part of your lives, you wouldn't have been in danger."

            "No, Dad! If you had never been a part of our lives, I wouldn't have a life. I wouldn't exist, and neither would Sori…what's wrong with you?!"

            "I'm going to give up Suiko."

***********************

            "Lemme go!"

            "Uh…maybe in a minute, okay?"

            "No! NOW!"

            "Aw, Tess, it isn't hurting ya any to wait." Lily covered her ears as her little sister continued shrieking. Ben was holding the child up in the air over his head, wincing as if he would cover his ears too if his hands weren't already busy. Kento was serving dinner to everyone, resisting the temptation to just gulp all of it down himself. Tess was quite hungry and not in the mood to wait to be served. She was terribly grumpy and wanted her food immediately.

            Rusty had a tray in his hands and while Kento ladled stew into the two bowls, the young man was peering around his body to watch the rest of the Fuans in this amusing scene.

            "Lemme go, lemme go, lemme GO!" Tess wriggled and pounded at her brother's arms, causing Ben to yell in protest and remove one hand, holding the child up high with just one arm. This resulted in a scream from Tess, thinking she was going to fall, and she clung to his arm and calmed slightly.

            Lily, meanwhile, had picked up a pair of dishtowels and pressed them to her ears. "You're too fucking loud!" she bellowed.

            "WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!!!" roared Kento. He set the pot down on the counter with a clang and a slosh, picked up a cutting board, and smacked it across his eldest daughter's rump.

            "YeeeeOOOWWWCH!!!" Lily jumped forward, smacking into Ben. Ben stumbled backward, hit the counter, and dropped Tess. Tess fell with a shriek…and landed in the dishwater of the sink.

            The room was abruptly silent.

            "Uhhh…" Rusty blinked.

            Tess stood up quickly in the sink, causing more water to splash out onto the floor. She looked down at herself in surprise, then disgust, then anger…and finally she broke down crying, plopping right back down into the dirty water. "Daaaaadyyyyy!" she wailed. "Ben dropped meeeee! He dropped me in the water, Daddy!" She began to throw things from the counter beside her at Ben, and splashed water at him furiously, sobbing the whole time. Ben threw his arms up and ran across the kitchen.

Kento strode forward quickly and seized his daughter up. "Shhh," he murmured in her ear. "We'll get you all cleaned up, sugar. Shush, now."

            With an apologetic backward glance at Sage and Maya at the table, and Rusty still holding the tray, he left the room. Ben surveyed the damage done to his clothes by the dishwater, sighed, and said, "I gotta go change. Excuse me. I'm sorry." He hurried out. Lily shrugged, sat down at the table, and picked up her spoon. That stew looked so good…

            "Lily, get your butt in here!" called Kento's voice.

            "Awwww, maaaaan!" Lily dropped the spoon with a clatter, shoving her chair back so hard it almost toppled, and stomped out of the room.

            "Um…okay, I'm gonna go take Kyri and Cye their stew now, alright?" Rusty headed toward the door.

            "If he's still sleeping, dear, don't wake him," instructed Maya.

            "And ask Kyri if she wants anything," added Sage.

            "Yes, ma'am, sir."

            He started to push the swinging door open with his foot, but it suddenly slammed back toward him. Rusty yelped, trying to dance out of the way, but it was too late. The stew spilled everywhere, somehow managing not to get on his clothes, but then he was nearly run over by someone. Stumbling back, he grabbed at a chair back to steady himself. It was Kyri who'd collided with him.

            "Sorry!" she spurted, looking terribly upset.

            "Kyri, honey, what's wrong?" asked Maya, already out of her seat and holding the girl's hands.

            "It's Dad," Kyri gushed. "I don't know what's wrong with him; he's saying crazy stuff."

            Sage put a hand on her shoulder, trying to soothe her. "Like what?"

            "He says he's going to give up Suiko. He says he shouldn't be using it. He says its all his fault that Mom and Sori…" her voice cracked. "…that we were attacked."

            Sage glanced at his wife and son and then left, presumably to see to Cye.

            Rusty sighed as his mother embraced Kyri and sat her down, saying calming things. Rusty went about cleaning up the spilled stew. When finished, he took the door at the back of the kitchen and went to sit behind the house. His old bicycle was there, spurring him to thoughts of all the times he and Lessa and Ben had gone biking through the woods, actually _trying_ to get themselves lost. It had been fun to try to figure out where they were and how to get home when they had no idea how to go about it. But most of the time, Ben ruined this game. He had an uncanny sense of which way home was, so they rarely got truly lost. Except once.

            They'd been biking for maybe two hours; Lessa's watch stated the time as five in the afternoon. Rusty hit a small rock in just the right way to knock his front tire slightly off balance and he'd crashed. Ben had been right behind him, hadn't been able to stop fast enough to avoid Rusty's bike, and had crashed too. Lessa didn't notice at first that her friends were no longer following her, until she was halfway down a hill. When she did, she came back, took one look at the two boys so hopelessly entangled in each other and the bicycles, and started laughing. She'd gotten quite serious quite fast though when she realized that Ben was holding his head that funny way because he'd smacked it against a tree.

            And then, when Ben couldn't think past his headache to figure out where they were, they'd realized they were lost. At first, they'd been reasonably anxious about this. That is, until Lessa remarked, "Well, at long last we accomplish the goal of our little outings and wouldn't ya know, it's gonna rain. Figures, huh?" And she'd smiled. They'd all laughed, because it really was kind of ironic and amusing.

            They tried following the tracks they'd left at first. Then the rain had started coming down, lightly then gradually heavier, thicker. They'd had the great luck of finding one of those small caves that are hidden everywhere on the Colorado mountains and foothills. Spending nearly two hours in a cramped cave wasn't exactly first on any of their lists of fun things to do, but they'd had fun nonetheless. Lessa teased them about their crash and the bump that had formed on Ben's head, until she started sneezing, seemingly unable to stop, and Rusty and Ben had teased her in turn.

            The rain eventually stopped. Ben's headache went down some and he decided that if they just went east of where they were now, that was the way home. They'd all been lectured upon arrival at Rusty's house, but in private, the three of them agreed that it had still been fun, for what reasons they couldn't say. Lessa had developed a cold, the bump on Ben's head had been there for a week, and Rusty's bike was rather bent out of shape. They hadn't _tried_ to get lost anymore, but they'd still gone biking in the woods together.

            Now, sitting in the dried leaves at the back of his house, Rusty found himself smiling. _Good times past, I suppose…We can't stay lost forever, we have to find each other again soon. We will._

            He stood up and wondered toward the storage shed nearby. They liked to keep stuff to take with them on their little trips there. He dug out his backpack and found the old cassette player with headphones the three of them shared while biking. He slid the headphones on and pushed the play button.

            The cassette was one of the ones Ben and Lessa liked, not really one he cared for a great deal. But since all of this stuff had started happening, he'd found that everything seemed to mean more than it usually did, even the music he was now listening to. A rock song apparently. And he found that the words had a personal meaning to him now too.

            _Old games we used to play/ What do you think happened/ Nothing changed with us, I think/ It merely slipped away/ It only slipped away_

_            We can get it back/ We can take it back/ We can storm the walls we built around us/ Let the old games find us_

_            My life deteriorates/ Everything's insane/ I can't stand to think of you/ I can't stand you being/ Away_

_            We can get it back/ Take it back/ Storm the walls/ …Let the old games find us_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR: 

            If ye could take the time, please read _An Intermission_. It's just something to explain my stories, including _A Fiery Rain_. Scream drew poor pictures of the _A Fiery Rain_ characters, so feel free to go to the link I left for ye in the last chapter and see them. I love you all, especially those of you who still take the couple seconds to give me a review. Thanks a ton!


	11. The Chicken or the Egg?

The Chicken or the Egg?

*************

            Eky waited until his supervisor wasn't looking, then picked up the basket and ran out the back door. The sup wouldn't notice he was gone for at least ten minutes; the man was always too busy to keep his eye on everyone at once. Eky and several other kitchen workers had gotten into the habit of slipping off once in a while, while the others would cover for the shirker. After all, they never got a day off, and it was hell to stay in that damn kitchen all the time, so it was natural for them to make time for themselves this way.

            Keeping up his steady run and expertly carrying the basket so that its contents would not be thrown out, the young man made his way into one of the many clearings behind the compound. It didn't take him long to spot what he was looking for.

            "Hiiiiiii!" sang the now-familiar voice. He could see Lessa down by one of the numerous little creeks that flowed through the hills behind the compound. She was standing and waving vigorously. At her feet lay the boy whom Eky had only recently become friends with. The youth's expression was annoyed, as if he'd been dealing with Lessa's energy for some time already.

            "Hi, Sori," Eky greeted the boy. "Lessa being weird again?"

            "As always."

            "Okay, look, you two! I'm not _always_ the one who's hyper." Her tone was accusatory as she arched an eyebrow at her friends. "I'm just having a good day, that's all."

            "Whatever. So, whatcha bring?" Sori reached for Eky's basket with one hand, brushing his hair from his eyes with the other.

            "That new sweet bread Anx made, some of James's better jam, and eggs."

            "Eggs?" both of the younger people reiterated in confusion.

            "Yeah." Eky snatched back his basket from Sori and started digging through it himself, handing a small loaf of bread to both of them. Then he pulled out a bundle of cloth and carefully unwrapped it to reveal three eggs. "Look." He quickly shelled one of them. It was boiled. "They're good this way."

            "Yeah, right," Sori scoffed.

            "No, really! And they're even better with a little salt, but I couldn't get any. Here, try it." The kitchen man handed Sori the shelled egg and watched as the boy tentatively bit into it.

            "Heyyy, this is kinda good."

            "Told you!"

            "Aw, shut up."

            "You going to make me, little boy?"

            "Yeah, bring it on!" Sori stretched out on the grass with arm raised in a challenge.

            "You're on!" Eky joined him, grasping his hand, and the wrestling began.

            Lessa just watched them in silence. Then she leaned over Eky and plucked one of the eggs from the cloth. As she leaned back again, she absently slapped Eky's butt.

            "Eep! Don't do that, Les! Whoa, noooo…dangit."

            Sori laughed, pinning Eky's arm to the ground. "Haha! I win!"

            Eky scowled and raised his arm again.

            Lessa dropped the egg and scrambled to her feet, jumping away.

            The egg rolled until it touched Sori's elbow. He didn't pay much attention to it, already staring at Lessa. "What's wrong with _you_?"

            Lessa looked at him with wide eyes, glanced at the egg, and opened her mouth to speak but her expression abruptly changed. Eky recognized the look and bolted to her side, getting there just in time to hold her hair back for her while she emptied her stomach on the grass. "It's okay, it's alright," he murmured, putting a hand on her forehead even as she continued.

            Sori stood, brushing himself off. "Okay, I've definitely lost my appetite."

            "Shut up," Lessa moaned without looking up or straightening up.

            "Just tryin' to distract ya." The Mouri glanced to Eky and touched his cousin's shoulder, concerned. "Really, what's wrong?"

            Lessa didn't seem to hear him. She mumbled something that sounded like "shell your own food" and then, with another moan, she tumbled forward. Eky caught her and carefully swung her up in his arms. He and Sori exchanged another glance, both perplexed and anxious.

            "Maybe she's been training too hard." Eky blew at a few stray strands of green hair that had fallen in his eyes.

            Sori couldn't help brushing his own hair out of the way, then reached to swipe some wisps from Lessa's face. "Yeah, that must be it. C'mon, let's get her to the infirmary or something."

***********************

            Ulner sighed. "I thought you said they were gone."

            "They were." D'torei sighed himself, putting down the half-empty bowl of rice. "But they're back now."

            "D'torei, you really should talk to the master about these…these…"

            "Dreams. Visions. Apparitions. Hallucinations. Delusions. Whatever you think best fits." The man stood up, his long auburn hair swinging behind him, making soft whispering noises against his robes. "But the point here is, I _am_ having them again. And we both know from experience what happens when I do."

            Ulner stood up and stretched until his spine popped, smirking when his friend winced at the sound. "Yeah. They come true."

            D'torei nodded. "Exactly. So, do you understand what you have to do?"

            "Well enough, I guess. I gotta go now. I promised that little kid that I would come visit here around this time."

            "Since when do you like kids?"

            "Since Lessa introduced me to Rinfi. If you'd just come out of this stupid shrine once in a while, D'torei, I think you'd be interested in these kids. They're really bringing new life to the place."

            "You know I can't do that. We've tried it."

            Ulner grimaced. "Sorry, moment of stupidity."

            "Not a problem. But you were going, so go."

            Ulner nodded, bowed, and left.

            D'torei groaned loudly and let himself fall back on the mat. "Why?" He covered his eyes. "Why can't I stop them? Why do they come to me?"

            "Because I love you."

            He was on his feet and on guard in the space of a breath. "Who's there? Where are you?" But he could see no one in the shrine with him and no one in the space he could see beyond the door. "Dear gods…" He slipped back to the floor, folding his legs beneath him. "Am I going mad?"

***********************

            To this day, I do not know why I awoke when I did. But I do know that when I did, I had one helluva _whopping_ headache. So, naturally, the first words out of my mouth were, "Owwwww…netherhells."

            After a moment, I realized I was alone in this room. That was odd. There was _always_ someone in nearly any room of the castle, at least the ones I went to when I was trying to keep from getting lost.

            And then I remembered. I'd been out with Eky and Sori; Eky had brought the food. There were…boiled eggs. And when I'd seen that boiled egg, when I'd felt it in my hand…I'd felt like someone had just fired off a space rocket in my head. I had thought that I was in a forest for a moment. And in that moment, I'd found myself screaming. There was something happening before me that had me screaming that way, something that made me angry and afraid… But then the moment was over, I was beside a hill, holding an egg, and Sori and Eky were looking at me funny and then I'd gotten sick and…then I suddenly couldn't keep my eyes open anymore.

            And here I was.

            I took a good look around me. "Huh." The boys must have brought me to the infirmary when I passed out. But where was the nurse? I distinctly recalled that there was always a nurse or two on duty in here. I sat up and swung my legs to the side of the bed. My head was going to explode!

            I waited for a few moments, allowing the pressure a chance to settle out in my head, and then rose slowly to my feet. I nearly fainted again. "Ohhhhhh, shit."

            "Such a foul mouth."

            I jumped. Which wasn't a very wise idea. I think I moaned while I leant against the bed for support and comfort. "Hello?" I called, as soon as my head got level again.

            "Hurry. Not much time now."

            I honestly hadn't a clue what was going on. But something told me I had better get out into the hall, and I'd better do it fast. So I strode toward the door, thinking briefly that had a nurse been in the room, she would have stopped me before I could take three steps. But then I was out in the hall. I would later be told that the nurse had had to run up to the conservatory, where one of the cleaning boys had shattered a giant glass vase twice his own size and been badly lacerated.

            So, here I was in the hall. Now what? I had to…upstairs. I had to go upstairs somewhere. It wasn't until I was halfway to the second story that I realized I had no idea what I was doing or why I was doing it. What was wrong with me? Well, it seemed that the only way to find out was to keep going.

            I couldn't tell you how I got where I was going that day if my life depended upon it. It seemed to me that one moment I was on the stair and then the next I was standing somewhere on the seventh and top story and staring at a wall. I blinked several times. My headache was suddenly gone. But where was I? And why was I wherever I was?

            "Hurry. We are losing precious seconds."

            I took advantage of this return of sanity and self-control to analyze this strange un-embodied voice that had been commanding me about. It was most definitely female, and youthful, yet it possessed in it something I couldn't describe…almost like an ancient wisdom…and I thought, _Is that an echo?_

            "Stop that! Hurry!"

            And then suddenly my right palm was pressed to the wall and then my left hand too. "What the netherhells is g—"

            Suddenly there was a loud pop, like a wine bottle being opened, and I was blinded for an instant by a bright whiteness that I thought in that brief moment was really only in my mind, and then I was sitting on the floor against the wall on the other side of the corridor. A jolt of pain screamed through the back of my head and spine. I'd hit the wall, I realized. No, I'd been _thrown_ at the wall. _Oh, **shit**, it hurts!_

            "Yes, I know and I'm really so very sorry; that really couldn't be helped, you see. Come now, time's really going to be against us now."

            I blinked against the tears of pain that were starting to well in my eyes and looked up. "You…" It was the girl from all those weeks ago, the one I'd run into during my first escapade through the compound. How had I managed to forget her so completely?

            "Well, actually, you didn't forget. The memories were stolen and replaced in a way and…oh, there's no time for this now. Get up, will you?!" But then she was standing before me, and her hand had my arm grasped firmly, and she yanked me to my feet with a surprising strength. "Where's the cat?" she asked, but was distracted the next instant. "Oh, dear, but it's been so long since we've spoken, hasn't it? Come on! If we don't hurry, he'll have us before we can put up a fight." And she started to run down the corridor with me in tow. I couldn't help crying out as I was yanked along; the pain from my collision with the wall still throbbing up my back.

            I was only half conscious by the time we reached the first corner and failed to remain fully conscious for some time after that. But eventually, the girl came to a stop and held me out before her. I tried to focus on her face, but simply couldn't. "Hm," she said, her voice scrutinizing. "You must have hit your head harder than I thought… Well, I can't do anything for that right now. Where's Halo? He could fix you up, surely."

            _But their refusal to help the other three seems to have made the turned Ronins think it necessary to do away with Tenku and Rekka._

            "What was that? What did you say?" she asked, eyes wide.

            "I didn't…" I realized suddenly that I was scared to death for some reason. All of this mess had started with that damned egg! _Which came first: the chicken or the egg?_ I thought. I felt certain that I was about to pass out.

            "No, no! You can't faint _now_. I must know, who told you this?"

            I gasped at the pain in my back. "D'torei," I choked out. "Please, it _hurts_."

            "Don't talk anymore! Just think toward me and I will hear you. Now, what else did he say when he told you this? Think of the whole conversation, I can pick out what I need."

            I moaned, wanting to lie down or scream or _something_, but couldn't help recalling that first time with D'torei now that she had mentioned it.

            Her eyes grew even wider. "Lies!" she hissed. "They are lies! You mustn't believe them. And you are not who I thought. But then where is…ah," her eyes became sad, "you poor thing."

            I couldn't stifle the scream that came from my lips suddenly. She covered my mouth and glanced about her nervously. I wanted to weep for the pain, and sobbed against her hand. The pain flew up my spine and it might as well have been acid. I realized that she was speaking to me urgently, and I felt all my attention willfully pulled away from my agony to her words.

            "Don't believe them, they lie. They don't know it, but they do. Ryo is _not_ safe! The others are not turned; their families are safer with them. You are being used, manipulated, the Black is not your own, but a tinted reflection. Do you understand? He's dead! Dead! You have it now, he left it for you. Resist them! The light is your hope, stop being the shadow, stop—"

            And suddenly her voice stopped, her hands were forcefully ripped away from my arms, and I began to fall. I was unconscious before I could realize anything more.

***********************

            Kento stood up again. "You can't _do_ this!" he bellowed.

            "I can and you know it." Cye did not open his eyes. "You can't expect me to…to keep fighting. I just can't do it anymore."

            Sage put a staying hand on Kento's arm. "I think I understand…but if you give up Suiko, it goes to either Sori or Kyri."

            "…I know that."

            "So you want it to go to them now?"

            Cye finally opened his eyes and looked up at his friends. "Whether Sori gets it, or Kyri, either way, they'll have a way to defend themselves better." He paused, turning his face to the window. "And if I kept it, I don't…I don't think that I could _use_ it, or I might do something stupid if I did. It's _time_ for it to move on."

            Kento made an angry noise deep in his throat and turned away from them, striding away into the kitchen. Watching him go, Sage sighed. He rubbed his hands across his face and glanced back at Cye on the couch. The failing Warrior still gazed to the window. "Cye," began Sage slowly, "if you're absolutely positive you want to do this, let's not let it go to waste."

            Cye turned back to him. "What do you mean?"

            "I think that we can use this passing of Suiko to our advantage, but it may be tricky, and we'll have to plan it carefully."

            "I'm listening."

            Sage took a deep breath, as if to prepare himself for something. "Okay, then, before we start planning this, we have to talk to Kyri."

            "Why?"

            "Because…" and Sage glanced down at a piece of paper in his hand before continuing, "I think Suiko will go to her."

***********************

            She went through her checklist once more and, finding everything where it was supposed to be, finally called up the stairs. "Time to go!" she shouted.

            "Coming!" came the reply.

            "Get the bags, will you? They're by the door."

            "Sure." She waited till she saw him at the foot of the stairs to leave her place by the door and sprint to the kitchen. She grabbed a bright red marker and, after consulting her wristwatch, scrawled a message quickly across the dry-erase board in large bold lettering that would surely be noticed. _'Left at noon. Will call when plane lands. Feed the cats. There's pizza in the fridge (DON'T EAT IT ALL AT ONCE!!!). Don't forget to set your alarm clock. My cell number is #6 on speed dial if there's an emergency. See you in a week or two. ~Mia'_

            Satisfied that she'd written down all the last minute details necessary, she rushed out the door, snatching her jacket and the one beside it from the rack by the door and shoving her feet quickly into her unlaced sneakers even as she passed over the threshold. Only a little over a minute had passed before the truck was roaring down the drive.

            "Um, can you slow down a little?" asked the boy in the passenger's seat.

            "Nope, I go one bit slower and we're gonna miss the plane."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR: 

            Sorry if this one took a while to produce. I'm afraid I must take my leave of you for a while. I have to deal with my real life before I can effectively go about my life in the fandoms again. May you never know true pain. Thanks; love; hope to see ye soon.


	12. Notice

Notice

*************

This is **NOT** a chapter of _A Fiery Rain_.

I know that it has been a while since I gave you Chapter 11… And I'm sorry that I don't have more for you right now.

Most of you are aware that I have a lot of problems. Right before I gave you Chapter 11, one of those problems climaxed. I have a brain condition that I've been dealing with for some time now and the medication I was taking to correct it stopped working prior to 11's posting. The doctor's told me I have a year.

            Among other results of my problem, I have a hard time writing now. I have a day or two of coherency, and then a few more of a sort of mental helplessness.

            It is my intention to finish _A Fiery Rain_. I _will_ finish it, I swear it. But I won't be publishing any more chapters until the entire story is complete. If by that time, I am no longer capable of it for any reason, I've arranged for a friend to release the chapters over time. So you _will_ get them.

            If you really want a chapter, absolutely have to have it, or wish to host _A Fiery Rain_ or have an important question or something, contact Nic Jean at lonefate@hotmail.com with the phrase "Indy's story request" in the Subject line. She'll do what she can for you.

            Enjoy your lives, please. If I've learned anything these last couple months, it's that you have to value every moment, every friend, every sound and taste and smell and color… Do what you love. Don't let anyone's oppositions keep you from it. Believe in something; it makes life so much easier to bear. Pain is fleeting, endure it to the best of your ability, and keep making plans for the future. There is a future, however hard it is to understand or to see; the trick is remembering that you're part of its making. And no matter how hard it is, know that it's going to be alright. Always.

            Goodbye for now.

"Above all else, may you know joy." — The Rhapsody Trilogy, Elizabeth Haydon 


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